A Birthday Miracle
by LizCraft
Summary: Annabeth is devastated. It's August 18th, three years after Percy gave himself up to save the world. When she meets a stranger in the local library everything changes. (Absolutely terrible summary, but whatever, I did my best...:)
1. Chapter 1: Surprise

**Hey, guys!**

 **So I'm back with a little Percabeth fanfic, I mean come on, who doesn't love them?**

 **I had so much fun writing this little one shot, so I hope you guys like it!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Annabeth couldn't cry any longer.

It had been three years since the battle against Gaia. Three years since Percy Jackson had sacrificed himself to save the world, again.

After the war, Annabeth had picked up and left camp. She moved back in with her father, far away from camp, in San Francisco.

It was August 18th, Percy's birthday; Annabeth sat in her room, door locked, with a box of Kleenex tissues. She reached under her bed and pulled out a box.

It was small, nothing fancy, a simple wooden box, with a trident engraved on the lid. Percy had given it to her as a gift six years earlier.

His sea-green had pierced her as he had handed her the small, gift-wrapped box. _"So you'll always have a part of me with you,"_ he had said with his signature goofy grin.

Annabeth slowly opened the box and looked at the odd assortment of objects that lay inside with teary eyes. A picture of her and Percy at the Fourth of July fireworks in camp, the cap of a ballpoint pen, and a piece of red coral.

To an outsider, it would probably look like a bunch of worthless junk, but to her, it was all she had left of the son of Poseidon.

" _Man up wise girl,"_ he would say, pulling her closer to him _, "I'm not going anywhere." "Shut up seaweed brain,"_ the blonde would reply with a laugh, taking in his familiar ocean scent, _"don't test the Fates."_

A sharp knock on her bedroom door drew the daughter of Athena out of her reverie.

"Annabeth?" her step-brother, Matthew, called. "Lucy and Noah are here, should I let them up?"

Annabeth sniffled and hastily closed the small box.

"I'll be right there," she responded.

Once her brother's footsteps receded down the steps, the grey-eyed girl quickly fixed her hair and makeup and hurried down the stairs to greet her friends.

As the door shut behind the three friends, Lucy turned to her blonde friend.

"Are you alright Annie?"

The daughter of Athena looked at her friend curiously.

"Of course, why would you say that?" she asked nervously.

"I mean, you're just so tense today, right Noah?" Lucy replied turning to poke Annabeth in the ribs.

Annabeth pushed her hand away.

"Don't do that! You know I hate being tickled!" she said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She's right Beth," Noah said.

"Why are you so uptight? It's summer! The only thing we need to worry about is Professor Valios's 4,000-word essay, and we're finishing it today; then we go for ice cream, sound good?"

"Awesome," Annabeth answered with a sad smile.

"Let's hit the books then," Lucy declared as the three walked into the library.

Annabeth loved coming to the library. She came here whenever she wanted to escape and be alone. She had been here so often, she knew all the librarians by name.

"Good afternoon Jill," she told the older lady at the main desk as she passed by.

"To you too dear," Jill replied fondly.

"What brings you here?"

"School work."

"In the middle of summer vacation? You don't seem like one who would need to take summer classes."

The savior of Olympus smiled and laughed.

As she turned to follow her friends to the quieter space in the back, she heard Jill call out to someone.

"Mr. Johnson, please be careful with those books!"

Annabeth glanced over to see a tall, dark-haired figure struggling to hold a stack of ten thick, heavy looking books.

The girl shook her head and headed over to where her friends were sitting.

"What was that about Annie?" Lucy asked her friend.

"Just talking, Jill is one of the regular librarians."

The dark haired girl watched her friend attentively.

"Sometimes I don't understand you, Annie."

"Stop trying to understand me, and start trying to understand this," Annabeth said, gesturing to the multiple books that lay in front of them.

"I'm going to get another book, I'll be right back," The daughter of Athena told her friends. Her friends made no motion that they heard her; they were too absorbed in their work.

"Whatever," Annabeth said, heading over to the history section.

She skimmed the shelves, looking for the right sub-section when she quite literally ran into someone.

"I'm so, so sorry Miss, I should've been more careful, are you alright?" the man said, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit winded that's all."

"I'm glad you're ok miss…?"

"Annabeth Chase," the girl said cautiously.

"Per-Peter, um, Peter Johnson," the man said hesitantly.

The name tickled the back of Annabeth's mind, she faintly recognized the name.

"Have we met before?" she asked him.

The man, Peter, gulped uncertainly.

"Not, not that I remember," he said, adjusting his glasses nervously.

The movement caught her eye.

"What's on your wrist?" she asked, reaching out to grab his wrist.

He jerked his arm back, away from her, but her demi-god instincts were too fast for him. Annabeth pushed his sleeve up and gasped.

Imprinted on his forearm were the letters SPQR, a single stripe, and a trident.

Annabeth looked at him, to dumbfounded to move.

"Per-Percy?" she whispered almost inaudibly.

Peter took off his glasses to reveal the sea-green eyes that watched the daughter of Athena tearfully.

"Hey wise girl," he said softly, reaching to touch her face.

Tears escaped both half-blood's eyes as the embraced each other tightly.

"It's ok, it's ok," Percy muttered to her, stroking her hair comfortingly, as Annabeth sobbed into his shoulder.

"Three years Perc, three! We all thought you were… you were..." her voice cracked, heavy with emotion.

"They told me you were dead, they told me you all had died despite my-"

"Annie? Who is that? Did something happen?"

Annabeth turned to face her two friends, tears streaking her cheeks.

"This is my boyfriend-" she stated, voice thick with emotion.

"-My boyfriend Percy Jackson."

As her friends stared in shock the blonde girl turned to the son of Poseidon, taking in his warmth, taking in every part of him.

"Happy birthday, Seaweed Brain."

* * *

 **I know, I know, it wasn't the best, but I really hope you people liked it!**

 **Question: what's your favorite ship (PJO, HOO, whatever)? Mine are Percabeth, Caleo, and Solangelo (don't get me wrong, I love Frazel, and Jasper as well, but those are my fvorites.)**

 **Please review, it would really make my day!**

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	2. Chapter 2: I begin again

**Hey, guys!**

 **I'm back with chapter two. Now before I start, I want to say something. I know I originally said this story would only be a one-shot; but due to all the positive feedback, I've decided to continue 'a birthday miracle'.**

 **Please don't post negativity about the story, if you don't like it, don't read it, and if you only liked it as a one-shot, ignore all of the other chapters.**

 **I would also like to give a shoutout to Psyche Castle for being absolutely amazing and listening to me rant about ideas for this story! Have some cookies (::) (::) (::) (::)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Happy birthday, Seaweed brain."

The son of Poseidon looked down at the daughter of Athena.

"Thanks, Wise Girl," he whispered, tangling his hands in her thick and soft blonde hair.

She tilted her head up to look at him, her eyes beginning to brim with tears.

"I missed you, Percy," Annabeth hugged Percy tighter, scared that he wasn't real, and that if she let go, he would fade away and disappear.

"I-"Percy was cut off by a new voice.

"Um… Beth? I don't know who this guy is, but people are beginning to, you know, stare," Noah whispered urgently to the couple.

"And?" Annabeth replied distractedly, still clutching Percy tightly.

Percy watched his… girlfriend. She had changed. Not because three years had passed; no, it was because three years had passed without him. He could see it in her eyes.

"Annabeth?" he said, delicately placing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.

"Hmm?" she muttered into his shoulder.

"Maybe we should go somewhere, erm, more private," the dark-haired boy looked at his girlfriend's friends apprehensively.

"Umm… we could go to my apartment?" Lucy asked them half-heartedly. She didn't know who this guy was, but if he made Annabeth happy (which in itself was an extremely difficult task), he was ok in her book.

"Lead on," the raven-haired boy said to her kindly.

Lucy rolled her eyes at him, and led the way out of the library; the only sound from the group was Annabeth's quick "goodbye" to Jill the librarian.

A taxi was quickly flagged down and the four clambered inside. Not a word was uttered from the group other than Lucy giving the driver directions to the apartment.

* * *

Lucy locked the door and showed the other three to the living room. Afterward, Noah branched off to use the phone to order pizza for the group.

"Pizza has officially been ordered, should be here in twenty," Noah declared, walking into the living room and sinking into one of the two navy blue armchairs, a few minutes later. Lucy sat in the second recliner, while Annabeth and the stranger (Percy) sat on the matching navy loveseat couch across from them.

"So…" Lucy began, watching the couple closely.

"Who are you?"

Percy glanced at her, an eyebrow raised, somewhat mockingly.

"My name is Percy Jackson, A.K.A. Peter Johnson, A.K.A. Seaweed brain; I am 21 years old and used to live in New York but moved to California three-"

"I don't want to know your whole life story, but how do you know Annabeth?" Lucy asked him suddenly, stopping him mid sentence.

The two exchanged a look.

"Do you want the long story... or the very much shorter but abridged version?"The guy-Percy- asked jokingly.

"How long is long?" Noah asked curiously, leaning forward in his seat.

"Well, we have known each other for about-"Percy splayed his fingers and started to count. "2…4…7… eight years," he announced finally. "Well… Eleven, if you're counting the past three."

"Jeez, that's a long time. So I think I speak for both of us when I say the shorter version," Noah said, with a glance at Lucy, who nodded in agreement.

"Let's do this then," Percy said surely.

"Annabeth and I met at summer camp in New York. We were both eleven, and the only standing in between us, was our two cabin's years-old feud, but _amour conquiert tous_ ," Percy quoted triumphantly.

"Love conquers all," Annabeth mused, "I didn't know you knew French!"

"Like you said, three years had passed. I picked up a couple of things here and there."

"Anyway," Percy continued after Annabeth had hit him playfully.

"In the beginning, she hated my guts-"

"-yes I did, but after five years of putting up with your antics, I realized that you were only doing it because you liked me... and I also realized the even though you look all manly and tough on the outside; on the inside, you're as sweet as cotton candy and soft as a marshmallow," the blonde girl interrupted him with a smile, and kissed him.

They were seriously in love, anyone watching could see that.

Noah cleared his throat. He hated to ruin the couple's moment, but he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable and could sense that Lucy felt the same (but was too polite to say anything).

The couple broke apart as a mellifluous **(A\N: mellifluous means smooth and sweet sounding)** melody resonated throughout the apartment.

"Pizza's here!" Lucy declared, jumping up to get it.

"Sit, I'll get it," Percy offered, motioning for the brunette to sit back down.

Lucy slowly sunk back into the poufy armchair; as Percy pulled out his wallet and went to the front door to relieve the delivery boy (or girl) of the pizzas.

"Annie, if this guy is such a big part of your life, why don't you ever talk about him, I mean he seems like a great person," Lucy asked Annabeth after Percy was out of earshot.

The girl turned to her friends, a faraway look in her eyes.

"I never talked about him because three years ago-" she drew a breath, her eyes starting to tear up.

"Because three years ago he was kidnapped, and everyone (including his family) thought he was dead. No ransom was ever asked for, so we had no clue that he was still alive."

A deafening silence filled the room, as Lucy and Noah sunk back in their chairs in shock. The only sound was Percy's muffled voice by the door.

"Annie, I'm so sorry," Lucy whispered.

Her friend nodded in comprehension. "It's fine, what matters is that he's-"Annabeth Chase was cut off by a loud _crash_ coming from the direction of the front door.

"What was that?" Noah asked nervously.

Shouting and scuffling were heard from the hall that led from the living room to the front door.

Annabeth leapt to her feet, her stormy gray eyes hardening.

"When I say go," she whispered to her two friends, "run for the fire escape like hell is chasing you."

Noah and Lucy's faces immediately paled in fear.

"Why?" Noah asked. He didn't fully understand what was happening.

Annabeth opened her mouth to answer, but as the trio heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall, she placed a finger to her lips, motioning for them to be quiet.

The three friends stood frozen, waiting for the worst.

What none of them expected was for the wall to explode.

* * *

 **I know, I know, I'm evil, I get it!**

 **MUWAHAHAHAHA! I love ending chapters with little cliffhangers; it's so much fun ;)**

 **What'd you guys think? What made the wall explode? Write your guesses when you review, ok? Cool.**

" _ **If I could do it all over**_

 _ **I wouldn't change a thing**_

 _ **If I got to crawl to get closer**_

 _ **That's how it's got to be**_

 _ **I'll break I'll burn I'll bleed**_

 _ **and when I reach the end**_

 _ **I begin again"**_

 _ **(I begin again, by: Jai McDowall)**_

 **I was listening to this song as I wrote this chapter, I'm officially obsessed with it, and I feel that it really sums up Percabeth's relationship. You know, they've been through so much to get to where they are today, but I don't think that either of them would change anything (even Luke, and Beckendorf, and Silena, and Bianca's deaths but still). Also, it's an amazing song as well, check it out and tell me what you think (PM me or review).**

 **Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed it, and chapter three should be up soon (hopefully).**

 **PJO trivia (whoever answers gets a shoutout)-**

 **Q: Who came up with the nickname "Wise Girl"?**

 **Good luck!**

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	3. Chapter 3: Home

**Alright, I'm back,**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter, it's a bit of a filler, but it was fun to write.**

 **Also, just to clarify, Noah is a guy- just so there's no confusion….**

 **Shoutout to Psyche Castle for giving me the idea for the monster! And shoutout to Mickey-o14, Toby4138, and Mathilda208 for answering the trivia (double shoutout to Mickey-o14 for getting it right)**

 **I don't know what else to say….**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

What they didn't expect was for the wall to explode.

Plaster and debris flew all around the room.

When the dust cleared, the trio saw a body lying on the now dirty carpet, his black-hair turned gray from all the plaster.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried, rushing over to her boyfriend.

The boy groaned incoherently and looked up at Annabeth's face which was filled with worry and concern.

"What happened?" She asked him urgently, the worry clear as day in her voice and eyes.

"Dr…orn…. Westo…. Artemis…." He wheezed, gasping for breath.

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked her friend. She and Noah had moved from their spot by the couch to stand near Annabeth and Percy.

The son of the Sea God had a nasty cut on one cheek; his shirt was torn and bloody. It looked as if his shirt had been mauled by a lion.

Heavy footsteps were heard in the hall, approaching the living area rapidly.

"Noah," Annabeth said, turning to the boy, "help me get him to the fire escape. Lucy, you have a car right?"

Noah slipped under Percy's arm, supporting the other boy, as the brunette (Lucy) nodded.

"Daughter of Athena, it has been a while," a voice, thick with a French accent, drawled menacingly.

The blonde demigod turned.

"Thorn, why are you here?"

"I have come to retrieve you two demigods," the manticore sneered evilly.

"You can take me and Percy, just leave my friends out of this." She said firmly.

Dr. Thorns laugh was cold and cruel.

"No, you misunderstand me. You and the Jackson boy are nothing more than mosquitos in summer, pests. I have come for Lucy Harrison and Noah Davids."

Annabeth motioned for her friends to take Percy as she drew a knife.

Lucy, Noah, and Percy were about half-way down the fire escape when they heard Dr. Thorn's cry of fury and pain.

Annabeth suddenly came into view, her bronze blade glinting in the sunlight.

The four (Percy using Noah as a crutch) ran (or limped in Percy's case) through the dank alleyway, as a roar of outrage was heard. A dark sphere whistled over their shoulders, crashing into a dumpster, tearing through the green metal with terrifying force.

Percy mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.

"Dude, you're going to need to speak up a little if you want us to hear you," Noah panted, somehow ducking under a second hurtling sphere.

"Go, I'll hold him off. Just get to a car and be ready to move," Percy said louder, pushing Noah and the two girls behind him.

He closed his eyes and concentrated.

The manticore charged at him, his eyes glowing with rage.

"Annie, what the FREAKING HELL is going on?!" Lucy yelled at her friend.

Lucy had no idea what was going on, but she was terrified. Why were they being chased, and why did this doctor person call her and Noah Demigods? What the hell was a demigod anyway? Her mind was reeling like crazy.

Noah gripped her arm reassuringly, sensing her distress; she shivered as an almost electric current flowed through her body from where his hand gripped her wrist.

"I'll explain soon, just move!" Annabeth shouted back, pushing her two friends behind a dumpster for protection.

That's when all Hades broke loose.

Windows shattered, pipes exploded, the air itself seemed to liquefy as water swirled together, coming from every place imaginable, to form a protective shield- a tidal wave, in front of Percy Jackson.

The monster snarled and hissed, as if the sight of the water disgusted him, before sending a volley of poisonous spikes towards the son of Poseidon.

The wave deflected most of the thorns **(A/N see what I did there? ;)** , but one single spike made its way through the protective barrier and pierced Percy's side, causing him to cry out in pain.

Annabeth tensed up and made to go help her friend before Noah grabbed her wrist and pulled her down.

"You still owe us an explanation, and you can't explain this situation if you're dead."

Annabeth nodded in comprehension, but the boy didn't relinquish his grip, just in case.

Percy pointed at the now charging manticore and the water swirled towards the monster, as if it (the water) was metal, and Dr. Thorn- a magnet.

"You shall never succeed! You can try to run godlings, but you cannot stop the inevitable, he-" the heavily accented voice choked, as Dr. Thorn was impaled by a glowing, leaf-shaped, bronze sword.

The manticore exploded, covering the raven-haired boy in golden monster dust.

The three friends emerged from behind their sanctuary of a dumpster and stood frozen, gaping at Percy (except for Annabeth of course).

"Wha…." Noah mumbled, his face turning a variety of colors; from a pale, ashy white, to a violent shade of green.

Annabeth ran forward to catch Percy as he slumped to the ground, obviously drained from the sudden power surge.

"Lucy, get to your car and get it running; Noah, go with her, and if anything tries to kill you…" the blonde fumbled for something in the inside pocket of her ichor-stained jacket, "….stab them with this."

She handed him a shining bronze knife. He gulped nervously, but took the blade gingerly, holding it as far away from his body as possible.

The two looked at each other before they headed, at a slight sprint, towards the street; leaving the two senior demigods alone in the alley.

"C'mon Seaweed brain," Annabeth heaved, struggling with her boyfriend's weight. It wasn't that Annabeth wasn't strong, Percy was just a lot heavier than she thought he was (NO, he was not fat- it was all muscle and height).

"No more blue chocolate chip cookies for you!" She declared.

The daughter of wisdom felt him vibrate slightly. She thought he was having a seizure before realizing with relief that he was just laughing.

Somehow, with difficulty, the couple reached Lucy's car, and Annabeth pulled Percy into the backseat.

He was sweating, his cheeks were flushed, skin was clammy, and he was bleeding rapidly.

"Damn it," Annabeth cried, as Lucy put the car into gear. "Noah, hand me your jacket, now."

Not asking why, the auburn-haired boy slipped off his varsity jacket and handed it to her.

The blonde girl pressed it to Percy's wound, which was turning a nasty purplish-green color.

"Can't you go any faster?" she snapped at Lucy.

"I'm going as fast as I can Annie, I can't control the traffic!" Lucy shot back.

"I'm sorry Lu, it's just…" Annabeth trailed off, her eyes watching Percy in concern.

"It's fine."

The three friends lapsed into a heavy silence. The only sound being the son of Poseidon's labored breathing as they shot onto the freeway.

"Where to Annie? Where are we headed?"

The daughter of Athena drew a quick breath. There was only one place they could go if she wanted Percy to live, a place that taunted her in her dreams.

"Oakland Hills," she said finally, her voice heavy with emotion.

"The Caldecott tunnel outside of Berkeley."

* * *

 **Chapter three- what'd you guys think? Please review, they always make my day!**

 **Next chapter is where the fun really begins. *laughs evilly* how do you think the Romans/Greeks will take it?**

 **Ok, so the answer to last chapter's trivia is Clarisse La Rue (in the lightning thief she insults Annabeth).**

 **Anyway, so I've decided that at the end of each chapter I'll include part of a song that I that think is related to the chapter. What do you guys think?**

" _ **Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong,**_

 _ **Where your love has always been enough for me**_

 _ **I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong**_

 _ **I don't regret this life I chose for me**_

 _ **But these places and these faces are getting old**_

 _ **So I'm going home, well I'm going home"**_

 _ **(Home, by: Daughtry)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	4. Chapter 4: Rise

**Hey guys!  
**

 **I know, it's been a while aaannnnddd I ended with a slight cliffy, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

 **Special thanks to those who reviewed! You made my day!**

 **I own everything you don't recognize.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Hazel was bored, to say the least.

She thought that being promoted to be Centurion alongside Dakota would be fun, so when Frank and Reyna asked her, she pounced on the offer.

She thought she would be organizing war games, going to exclusive senate meetings, and getting free hot chocolate from Bombilo the two headed merchant. What she didn't think it would do was give her extra patrol duties, because Camp Jupiter (unlike Camp Half-Blood) didn't have magical- monster repelling barriers to protect it (well, they did, but the still needed to guard the tunnel).

That was the reason why she and Dakota were standing were standing in the blistering and humid heat, outside of what looked like to the mortal world- a maintenance tunnel.

 _ **I wish Frank was here,**_ she thought to herself, _**or even Leo. At least they could help pass the time.**_

Dakota slurped his red Kool-Aid.

Hazel didn't know what she did to insult Fortuna, but she hoped that the day could, or would, get any better.

"Hazel."

The daughter of Pluto heard Dakota calling her name urgently.

"What?!" She snapped and immediately apologized.

"Sorry."

The son of Bacchus shrugged it off with a slight wave and pointed up the highway.

She followed his gaze and saw a car racing down the freeway, speeding towards the two centurions.

They reached for their weapons. Hazel had her hand on her spatha's hilt, and Dakota grasped his spear.

The car swerved into the emergency lane and came to a shuddering stop.

* * *

Lucy raced down the highway and swerved into the emergency lane.

"Ok Annie, what now?" she asked, her heart pounding.

"You see the two people wearing armor, standing by the maintenance tunnel?"

She nodded and Annabeth continued.

"Tell them what happened and that we need help," Annabeth instructed.

As Noah helped Annabeth remove the now unconscious Percy out of the car, Lucy ran towards the two guards.

"Help… Please…Attack, poison…" she panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Slow down, take a breath," one of them, a girl with startling golden eyes, said softly.

Lucy took a deep breath and visibly calmed down.

"What ha-"

"Hazel," the other guard cut in.

"One minute Dakota, I-"

" _Hazel!"_ he interrupted again, his voiced laced with desperation and urgency.

"What is it Dakota?" Hazel said sharply, turning to look at him.

The man, Dakota, pointed a shaking finger behind Lucy.

 _ **Did the monster follow us?**_ Lucy thought, scared.

She turned to see that Dakota was only pointing at her friends.

The brunette turned to inform them of this, when she saw Hazel's eyes.

They were filled with concern, anger, recognition, disbelief, but mainly hurt.

"Is that…." Dakota started out slowly.

"Annabeth?" Hazel's voice cracked. Her golden eyes filled with tears.

Lucy saw Annabeth raise her eyes and look at the guard with a sad smile.

"Hazel?"

The guard ran forward, her friend in tow, and squeezed Annabeth into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank the gods, thank the gods," Hazel mumbled, tears streaming down her face.

Annabeth pulled back, her eyes red, her cheeks streaked with tear marks.

"Hazel, we need to get Percy to the infirmary….. Manticore venom."

Hazel's eyes widened as Dakota quickly relieved Noah of Percy.

"Dakota, keep this quiet- confidential. Got it?"

He nodded and disappeared through the tunnel.

"Where did you go? Why did you leave?" Hazel asked the blonde accusingly.

"I'm sorry Hazel, really, but after Percy-"she choked, "after Percy disappeared, I felt like everything came crashing down. He was my everything, he…. I couldn't live without him. How would you feel if Frank did what he did?"

Hazel bit her lip. She couldn't imagine what Annabeth was describing, but she tried.

"Ummm… I don't mean to break up the happy reunion, but how do you know each other? You said you didn't know anyone from San Fran Beth," Noah said, confusion filling his voice.

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Beth? Last time I saw you, you would have killed the person who called you Beth."

"It's a long story…" the daughter of Athena deflected.

"We have time," Hazel countered, her voice almost acidic from hurt.

"Um, we actually don't have time. Look!" Lucy exclaimed, as a howl cut through the air.

Cars swerved and braked as a pack of hellhounds burst through, noses to the ground and eyes burning like lava.

"Go, go, go!" Hazel ushered them past her into the tunnel.

They ran past electric lights, which quickly turned into reed torches, burning with a green fire.

 _ **Greek fire,**_ Annabeth realized with a flinch.

The emerged on the bank of the little Tiber. Hazel started crossing, Lucy and Noah in tow. They were about half way across, when Hazel realized Annabeth hadn't followed, and was still standing in the far side.

She walked up to her friend.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?"

The blonde drew a faltering breath.

"I…I don't know if I can do this Hazel. Come back into this world, put Percy and my family in danger again. I can't do it Hazel, I can't…"

The daughter of Pluto took her friend by the shoulders.

"Annabeth Chase, you are one of the most amazing people that I have ever known. You are strong, independent, and you always sacrifice yourself for others- unless Percy beats you to it."

The two girls smiled.

"What I'm trying to say is, you're always there when someone needs you, even if it's just to explain how to escape Chinese handcuffs, and now, it's my turn to be here for you."

Hazel Levesque extended her hand, and reluctantly, Annabeth took it.

Camp Jupiter was not how Annabeth remembered it.

Last time she was here, all she saw was ruins, and evidence of a previous battle, flying bricks, and angry Romans. Now however, everything was more or less perfect.

Legionnaires hard at work; training, building, tending to various animals, Satyrs- sorry- fauns roamed looking for change, but what she didn't expect to see was all the orange. She knew Camp Jupiter's color was purple, so she was surprised when she saw campers wearing orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirts.

"Field day," Hazel explained shortly, as they neared the city.

"Twice a summer, one camp goes to the other and the hosting camp teaches the other camp different skills. Fighting, foot racing, building… the list goes on and on really."

"Wow…." Annabeth kept looking around, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"Centurion Levesque, what a surprise!"

"Hello Terminus," Hazel said in an exasperated voice.

"You know the rule: no weapons inside the Pomoerium line. Julia!"

Hazel placed her spatha and dagger on the silver tray, and stepped over the line.

"Who do we have…. The daughter of Minerva, try not to blow up my city this time, understood?"

Said girl nodded and stepped into the city.

"You do realize staring is rude young man." Terminus said, annoyed.

Noah gulped and stepped forward carefully.

"Y-You talk."

"Of course I talk Mr. Smart-Aleck. Now do you have any weapons on you?"

Still looking shocked, Noah retrieved Annabeth's dagger from his pocket and placed it on Julia's tray.

Lastly, Lucy stepped towards the statue.

"I don't have any weapons," she stated clearly.

Terminus raised an eyebrow (or tried to at least). A few seconds later he responded.

"Are you going to stand here all day?"

Lucy moved closer to Noah, and the group started off down the hill, towards the Senate House.

As they neared the building, the sounds of arguing voices became louder.

The four stopped near the doors.

"You ready Annabeth?" Hazel said, watching her friend warily.

The daughter of Wisdom nodded and the Centurion pushed open the heavy double doors.

* * *

 **Boom. Chapter four. What do you think?**

 **Before I get any comments, I know the ending felt a bit rushed, but I wanted to get the chapter to this point.**

 **Anyway, please review; you don't understand how happy I am when I get reviews from you guys. Also constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

 **This week's trivia:**

 **What book was the Empire State Building security guard reading in 'The Lightning Thief'? (Hint: it's at the end of the book- after Percy's fight with Ares). Good Luck!**

" _ **When, when the fire's at my feet again**_

 _ **And the vultures all start circling**_

 _ **They're whispering, "You're out of time,"**_

 _ **But still I rise"**_

 _ **(Rise, by Katy Perry)**_

Ttyl

Liz


	5. Chapter 5: I know the truth

**Hey, guys. I'm back!**

 **Ok, so I want to apologize beforehand for this chapter. It moves (in my opinion) a bit quickly, but I just wanted to get this behind us so I can start writing the quest….. Yes. There is a quest…**

 **Also, in this chapter there is a Senate meeting with a bunch of people from CHB so don't get freaked out when more characters randomly enter the chapter….**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Field days at Camp Jupiter were fun,**_ Frank thought, _**until they played war games.**_

When the teams were a mix of both sides-both camps- all was well. No one complained and they lived happily ever after. When it was Greeks against Romans…. Not so much.

If a Greek so much as sneezed in the wrong direction, said demigod would be immediately accused of using their godly powers to cheat.

Currently, Julian Vorex, Centurion of the First Cohort (who was as big of an asshole and bigshot as his predecessor Octavian), was arguing with Katie Demeter, head of the Ceres- sorry, Demeter- cabin at Camp Half-Blood.

Apparently, during her cabins distraction attack, the First Cohort had found themselves surrounded by trees, making them unable to fight. Katie had sworn on the River Styx that her cabin had nothing to do with it, but her oath hadn't been enough to persuade Julian, so the matter had been brought before the Praetors.

"Praetor Zhang, what is your ruling?" Reyna's voice cut curtly across Frank's train of thought.

The Son of Mars blinked. He had not been paying complete attention; trusting in Reyna to handle the situation.

"What?"

Reyna looked exasperated

"Your ruling," she sighed, "do you agree with Katie or Julian on the matter?"

Reyna loved working with Frank, but there were sometimes that she wished he would pay more attention to his job in the Legion.

Jason Grace, the Pontifex Maximus, caught his friend's eye.

Katie, he mouthed, jerking his head in the girl's direction.

"I um… I agree with-"

That was when the Senate Room door's opened.

Frank sank back into his chair in relief, thankful that he was saved from that embarrassment.

"Centurion Levesque, why are you here? You and Dakota are meant to be on patrol," Reyna asked the Daughter of Pluto, her tone icy.

"We had an, um, slight _complication_ at the tunnel," Hazel said, averting her gaze from Reyna and glancing at the floor.

"What type of complication?" Reyna asked, stressing the last word slightly.

"Hellhounds," Hazel locked eyes with Frank," and um…"

The Centurion moved aside to reveal three people. Silence rang through the room as the newcomers were looked up and down.

Frank's lips moved noiselessly, as Nico Di Angelo let loose a strangled cry and ran forward, punching the daughter of Athena in the face.

The sharp crack of the girl's nose breaking was enough to break the trance like silence that had filled the room.

"Nico!" Jason exclaimed, making a grab for his cousin's sleeve.

The boy shook him off and pulled Annabeth into a tight hug, sobbing into her shoulder.

Everyone watched on in shock. Nico Di Angelo, who hadn't let anyone (not even Will) make physical contact with him ever since the second giant war, was holding his oldest friend so tightly that there was a possibility she would snap in half.

"Why?"

The tears in his eyes and pain in his voice were enough to break the Daughter of Athena.

She broke down crying, hugging Nico tightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"I always knew Greeks were into drama; but this… By Juno, is too much," Julian Vorex said, rolling his eyes at the reunion.

Annabeth glared daggers at him.

"Excuse me?" her voice dangerously quiet.

"What? Who the hell are you anyway? Just because you seemingly know our Ambassador to Pluto and Praetors doesn't earn you any resect in my book."

Annabeth sent a glance over to Frank, an eyebrow raised.

"My name is Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena, leader of the Seven of the prophecy, leader of the quest into the Labyrinth, chosen of Athena. I found the Athena Parthenos, I walked through Tartarus, and I held the sky; that's who the hell I am."

Julian's lower lip quivered in fear. He hastily stepped back.

"I…. I'm… I didn't know…. I'm sorry."

She smiled at him. "No harm done."

"Annabeth?" A tearful voice cut across the silence, "who are they?"

The girl looked at the old centaur.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she said: "Ch...Chiron, these are my friends, Noah Davids and Lucy Harrison, they-"

"Mortals are not permitted here Annabeth," Reyna stated grimly.

She shook her head. "They aren't mortals… they're demigods. I brought them here to protect them, Dr. Thorn was after them."

The son of Hades made a sound like a choking cat.

"Thorn? The Manticore from Westover?"

"The very same."

Nico set his jaw.

"If he hurt you, I swear-"

"I'm fine Neeks, Percy got hurt…."

She trailed off, seeing the looks of astonishment, shock, and hurt that appeared on all of her friend's faces.

"Percy?" Jason asked, disbelief coloring his voice, "Annabeth, Percy's-"

The son of Jupiter was cut off by a sharp and piercing scream.

The party turned to face the source of the sound. Lucy and Noah stared, transfixed, at a spot above Lucy's head. A glowing caduceus had appeared above the girl's head.

"What does it mean?"

Annabeth looked at her friend, sympathy in her eyes.

"All hail Lucy Harrison, Daughter of Hermes; god of travelers, trade, thieves, and messenger of the gods."

"Annie, what's going on?" Lucy asked, her voice trembling.

Annabeth opened up her mouth to respond when she heard Nico gasp.

"That's not possible."

Following his line of vision, she saw he was staring at Noah, more precisely the upside-down torch which was glowing with a harsh light above the newcomer's head.

"My father is going to flip when he finds out about this, he shouldn't have kids!" Nico breathed, glancing at his sister anxiously.

"What do you mean?" Noah asked, his face clouded with fear.

This time it was Chiron who spoke up.

"All hail Noah Davids," he said gravely, "Son of Thanatos; god of death, brother of Hypnos, lord of the doors, and lieutenant of Hades."

* * *

 **What did you guys think?**

 **Please don't shoot if you didn't like it, I just really wanted to get this whole thingy out of the way, so we can get the prophecy and start the quest!**

 **Alrighty… please review- it means the world when you do!**

" _ **I know the truth and it mocks me**_

 _ **I know the truth and it shocks me**_

 _ **It's flown just a little too far**_

 _ **I try to blame it on fortune**_

 _ **Some kind of twist in my fate**_

 _ **But I know the truth and it haunts me**_

 _ **I learned it a little too late"**_

 _ **(I know the truth, By: Elton John)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	6. Chapter 6: Don't be so hard on yourself

**Hey, guys!**

 **So, I haven't really been on my computer lately, hence the lack in updating. I am really thankful for having you guys stick with this story so far and I hope you enjoy where it ends up.**

 **Anyway, thank you to all the amazing reviewers for chapter five.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"All hail Noah Davids," Chiron said gravely, "Son of Thanatos; God of Death, brother of Hypnos, Lord of the doors, and lieutenant of Hades."

Everyone stared at the boy, their faces stricken.

"Beth?" He asked shakily, "What does that mean?"

For once in her life, the Daughter of Athena did not have a logical answer to his question. All she could do was shake her head.

"Mars Almighty! Am I going to get a ruling, or should we all just stand here gaping like fish out of water because the Son of Hades has a brother?"

The ten who were present turned to the descendant of Mercury (AKA Julian).

"Of course, Julian," Reyna said, he voice icy- like the calm before a storm. "My ruling is in Katie's favor. Now get out of here before you give me time to consider throwing you into the Tiber, tied into a sack full of weasels."

"Of-Of course, Reyna… I mean, Praetor… I mean-"

"Now."

Under Reyna's burning stare, the Centurion left, muttering under his breath about insolent Greeks and favored campers.

"What do we do now?"

The group looked at Frank.

"I mean, Annabeth and Percy are back- I'm ecstatic, really- but right now we have even bigger problems to think about; and on top of that there are two new demigods- and one of them just happens to be a Son of Thanatos- the god who isn't supposed to be able to have kids…. No offense," he added, glancing at Noah apologetically.

"None taken." Noah was still terrified, and had no idea who or what was going on.

"Wait," Annabeth cut in, "What problems? What's happened?"

Lucy raised her hand. "Hold up," she said, "what the hell are Demigods?"

"My dear, you know of the old Greek and Roman legends?"

The daughter of Hermes looked at Chiron, still unfazed by the fact that he was a centaur, and furrowed her brow.

"You mean like the Olympians?"

Chiron smiled. "Exactly like the Olympians."

Noah's eyes grew (if possible) even wider, while Lucy's jaw dropped.

"B-b-but the Olympians aren't real! They're just stories the ancient Greeks and Romans believed in to explain nature phenomenon's and stuff!" Noah stammered out.

"Yeah," Lucy joined in, coming to her friend's defense. "But if the gods are real, why can't we see them? And why in America? Isn't Mt. Olympus in Greece?"

The Demigods of the Seven and Nico shuddered.

Chiron took a deep breath. "It is a lot to understand. Perhaps the Orientation film is in order?"

He looked at Katie Gardner, who nodded and took the two by the arm; leading them out of the Senate room.

"Where have you been Annabeth? Why'd you leave?"

Jason's question hung heavily in the air.

"I've been living with my father. In San Francisco," seeing the group's expressions, she hurriedly continued, "I'm sorry. I'll understand if you can't forgive me, but-"

She was cut off. Nico had run forward (again) and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I will always forgive you, Annabeth." He whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Stroking his dark hair, the Daughter of Wisdom looked at the elderly centaur. His centuries-old orbs were ambivalent. Forgiveness, joy, relief, and a deep sadness, were reflected in her storm-gray eyes.

Frank had left his seat; he and Hazel joined the two in their hug. Jason and Reyna shared a look, a silent understanding passed between them.

"I think," Reyna started, clearing her throat, "that a feast is in order to thank the Gods for Percy and Annabeth's return to Camp."

Jason slipped, unnoticed, out of the room.

Annabeth blushed. "Really Reyna, you don't have-"

"Of course I do. The Heroes of Olympus have returned; and besides- what are friends for?" Reyna smiled.

"I'm glad you're back, Annabeth."

* * *

Percy Jackson sat up with a groan. He felt as if Ares had decided to use him as a personal punching bag-multiple times.

"Welcome back, to the world of the living, Perseus," a cheery voice said from somewhere to his left.

Percy cracked a grin. There was only one person in the world who called him 'Perseus' that had never tried to kill him. "Shut up Solace."

The Son of Apollo smiled.

"At least we know your memory's intact."

"What happened?" The Son of Poseidon rubbed his eyes.

"According to Dakota, Annabeth said you guys had been attacked by the Manticore, and then, by the borders of Camp- a bunch of Hellhounds."

"Camp?"

"Jupiter. Camp Half-Blood is having a field day."

 _ **Field day?**_ Percy was too tired to even ask. He looked around. He was, in fact, lying on one of the many cots in the Roman camp's infirmary.

"Where's Annabeth? Is she OK?"

"Calm down, Aquaman. Annabeth is fine- scary actually. She managed to scare the Hades out of Julian Vorex- Centurion of the First Cohort, Octavian's replacement, but he's an even bigger egotistical asshole."

Percy smirked.

"It's good to see you too, Grace."

The Son of Jupiter clapped his cousin on the back, before pulling him into a hug.

"Watch the side. I got mauled by a Manticore."

Jason laughed. "Even when you're supposed to be dead, you still manage to attract trouble."

The Savior of Olympus grinned. "It's a gift given by the Gods."

* * *

 **I know, it's a really short chapter- but I hoped you peoples liked it.**

 **Please review, they always make my day; and yes before you ask- the prophecy will be given in hopefully be Chapter 7. So yeah.**

 **Anyway…..**

" _ **Don't be so hard on yourself, no**_

 _ **Learn to forgive, learn to let go**_

 _ **Everyone trips, everyone falls**_

 _ **So don't be so hard on yourself, no**_

 _ **'Cause I'm just tired of marching on my own**_

 _ **Kind of frail, I feel it in my bones**_

 _ **Won't let my heart, my heart turn into stone**_

 _ **So don't be so hard on yourself, no**_

 _ **I'm standin' on top of the world, right where I wanna be**_

 _ **So how can this dark cloud be raining over me**_

 _ **But hearts break and hell's a place that everyone knows**_

 _ **So don't be so hard on yourself, no"**_

 _ **(Don't be so hard on yourself; by: Jess Glynne)**_

 **So this song is like indirectly related to the chapter… but yeah….**

 **Ttyl,**

 **Liz**


	7. Chapter 7: The Fighter

**Hey, guys!**

 **Guess what? It's a double update! Let's do this.**

 **Shoutout to Fratzy, .thunder, StyxxsOmega, Ro222, and Strawberrygirl2000 for being awesome and reviewing the last chapter!**

 **I hope you guys like it and if not… well... read it anyway :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"You want to know what I really didn't miss about Camp Jupiter, Grace?"

The Son of the Sky God shrugged, motioning for his friend to continue.

"All the dam punctuality, it really kills me! Don't you Romans know about the term 'being late'? Of 'tardiness' maybe? Like, why the Hades do you have to be perfectly on time for dinner? Not that anyone would be. But seriously, come on!" Percy sighed his eyes on the building in front of them.

Jason let him talk. It was nice to hear his friends rambling and complaining again. His and Annabeth's disappearances had been major blows for both camps.

He still remembered that day, those moments everything had gone to hell.

 _*An explosion rocked the world behind them, turning everything brilliant shades of red. The heat was blinding._

 _Jason hugged Piper tightly as they shot through the air, dodging falling scraps of metal- Festus- and headed for the level ground._

 _The Daughter of Aphrodite was shaking and sobbing into his shoulder, calling out a name. Leo. She was calling his name like he could hear her . Like he wasn't- Jason shook his head. He needed to stay calm for Piper, for Hazel, for the others. But he couldn't bring himself to dry the tears that had begun to fall down his face as well._

 _The pair hit the ground and ran over to the rest of the Seven, who stood on the grass, watching the fireball that was Leo burst apart finally and dissipate with an earth shaking boom._

 _There was a silence. A silence so profound and cold, the hairs on the back of his neck stood._

 _No one knew what to do; if there was a loss or a victory, or both. So many had been wounded, but so many more were dead. That's when he felt it; a deep rumbling in the earth, seeming to come from its very core._

 _A soft cry of 'No' escaped Piper's lips. Annabeth blanched. Percy trembled with rage._

 _The winds picked up, blowing everything, from leaves to pieces of cloth- of armor, swirling together to create the form of a woman._

 _Gaea._

 _She smiled. "Foolish mortals, did you really expect one pity explosion to kill me? I am the earth itself! Pity of the fire users death, however, he was useful to me."_

 _Percy stepped forward, Riptide drawn and ready, his sea-green eyes bright with anger. "What do you want, Dirt Face? Or have you just come to gloat?"_

 _Jason admired his courage, considering what the other boy had been through, not even a week earlier._

 _Mother Earth regarded him carefully, her features slipped into a cold, unmerciless demeanor- just like a snake. "Perseus Jackson, I have been waiting a long time to meet you."_

 _He snarled. "Well, you met me. Now can you please go back to whatever pit in hell you came from, go to sleep and never come back? I hear Charn is very nice this time of year," he countered, his tone icy._

 _Gaea seemed to ponder this. "Much blood has been shed, and many warriors have fallen on both sides. I shall give you your time to mourn the dead, but as all things in this world- the time comes with a price."_

" _What price? Isn't this what you want? Isn't this enough?!" Annabeth spread her arms, indicating the smoking cabins, dying campers, and monster dust everywhere._

 _No one dared to speak, to move, as they watched breathlessly, as the Earth Goddess slid her venomous gaze from the blonde Daughter of Athena to her darker haired companion._

 _Shit._

" _The Sea Spawn will make a lovely prize," she said, her eyes burning with a dark malice._

" _Like hell, you're taking him," Frank said, as he and Hazel crossed the small distance and stood in front of him, their blades crossed determined to protect him. Jason and Piper joined them, creating a semi-circle around the Son of Poseidon._

 _There was no way they would let her take Percy or any of their number. They would fight together, till the end; especially after Leo's sacrifice._

 _Annabeth drew her bone sword and pointed at the goddess. Her eyes glowed with a fire no one had ever seen before. "This sword was given to me by Damasen. The son you threw into Tartarus after he avenged his friend: a Giant slaying the beast that had killed his friend, a human, a mortal farmer. And I swear to you, you lay a finger on my Seaweed Brain, I will end you- Primordial bitch or not."_

 _Gaea looked only amused. "All you Godlings claim that prophecies irk you, yet you five are laying out the Sea Spawn's path. Let him speak for himself." Her words were cold, layered with millennia of pain and hatred and anger._

 _Percy pushed past Hazel and Frank; he wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. The primordial's eyes glinted with a dark, twisted evil._

 _The sea-green met murky brown. He took a breath._

" _I'll go. Just leave them, let them be."_

 _Everyone knew what he was going to say, even before he had opened his mouth to speak. But knowing that didn't affect the Seven's reactions at all._

 _A cry of opposition was echoed between Frank, Hazel, and Piper. Jason couldn't move, he just stood there, frozen, his face rapidly losing its color._

" _Perseus Jackson, you go with her, I will kill you." Annabeth's tone was honed with steel, her eyes full of a murderous rage directed at Gaea._

 _The Son of the Sea God turned to face his friends. His eyes were red, his face streaked with tears._

" _Please, this is the only way, don't make it any harder than it already is," he whispered quietly. He gave Frank and Hazel hugs, pecked Piper on the cheek, and reached Annabeth._

" _I have to Wise Girl. I can't let anyone else get hurt; you know that better than anyone."_

 _He took her face into his hands and brushed his lips over hers. He brushed away the tears with his thumbs._

" _You promised, Percy. You promised me we would always be together." Her voice kept cracking from emotion._

" _I know Annabeth, I know. Gods, I love you Wise Girl, I love you so much, and I'll be back. I promise. We will be together. I promise."_

" _Percy," she whimpered as he kissed her forehead, meeting his cousin's eyes in the process._

 _Take care of them, the sea-green eyes seem to say, take care of all of them. Please._

 _That is why, the second Percy turned his back Jason had grabbed Annabeth, wrapping her arms around her tightly, preventing her from running to him. No matter how much she struggled, cursed him, yelled at him to jump into Tartarus, he did not let go, not until Percy reached Gaea and then disappeared in a flash of golden light (which they all averted their eyes to) did he let her go._

 _Annabeth screamed. Her scream pierced the sky. Her scream made the ground shake; Athena, who was on Olympus, went to Zeus to retrieve permission to investigate the sound. She fell to her knees, shaking. In moments Jason dropped to the ground beside her._

" _I'm sorry," he said. It was all he could say._

 _Annabeth looked at him. Her gray eyes were dead. They regarded him slowly. He started to wonder if he should run._

 _The girl pulled him into to a hug; clinging to him tightly, not letting go. She buried her face in his dirt-stained T-shirt. And he stroked her hair and soothed her. Trying to transfer some hope to her, before Piper and Hazel quietly detached her from Jason, and carried her to the big house, Chiron racing after them._

 _Frank and Jason regarded each other. The Praetor's eyes were red. He nodded at Jason before racing off to join the others in fighting the remainder of the battle._

 _The only reason Jason hadn't begun to cry, to rage, or to scream yet, was thanks to a small shred of hope that he had left. Hope he had found when he had sent the Dirt Queen a final, burning glare. Hope that had filled him when he noticed that her eyes were three-quarters of the way closed.*_

The Son of Jupiter blinked, coming back to his senses as he heard Percy calling his name from up the road, urgently reminding him, that they were already late, and he did not want Reyna sewing him into a sack of weasels.

Jason smiled inwardly, wiped away a stray tear, and shifted into a hurried jog to catch up to his cousin.

* * *

 **So… what'd you guys think? I know, it was a filler chapter but still, it's a double update remember?**

" _ **What if I fall?**_

 _ **I won't let you fall**_

 _ **What if I cry?**_

 _ **I'll never make you cry**_

 _ **And if I get scared?**_

 _ **I'll hold you tighter**_

 _ **When they're tryna get to you, baby, I'll be the fighter"**_

 _ **(The fighter; by Keith Urban ft. Carrie Underwood)**_

 **If anyone gets the Narnia reference, they get a shoutout in the next chapter.**

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	8. Chapter 8: One Day

**I'm just gonna start… I have no energy for an author's note right now.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

All chatter had stopped. The mess hall that, seconds ago had been filled with talk and laughter was now filled with an intense and absolute quiet. The reason- Jason Grace and Percy Jackson had entered, their faces slightly flushed from running up the hill.

Reyna Ramirez-Arellano froze at the sight of them. She was in mid-conversation with one of her Centurions when she saw them. The two men she had had feelings for in the past.

Jason, with his clear blue eyes and the smile that had once made her insides melt like Jell-O; and Percy, with the good looks of a Roman God, and the way his eyes always lit up whenever he saw his friends, including her, had once made the Praetor want to jump up and down excitedly like one of those air-headed Daughters of Aphrodite (*cough* Drew and her cronies *cough*).

Shaking her head, and carefully excusing herself from the conversation she was in, the Daughter of Bellona stepped forward into the center of the room.

Percy looked extremely uncomfortable with all the attention, Jason, however, looked somewhat bored. He was a Son of Jupiter, it was expected.

" _Ave_ Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus, welcome back." Her voice echoed across the room, reaching every corner.

The spell broke. A chorus of ' _Ave'_ echoed from everywhere. The smiles and laughter returned.

Percy was clapped on the back, embraced, pulled in different directions, kissed- and all to welcome a lost hero home. But amid it all, he sent her a grateful smile; one that she returned, full force.

By the time he had reached the others, he was out of breath and his hair was a complete mess, more than usual.

"Percy!" Hazel, Nico, and Frank dropped their utensils and rushed over to him, and squeezed him- but not before Hazel had smacked him across the face.

"Jeez Hazel, you children of the Underworld have gotten violent lately. Jason told me what Nico did to Annabeth's nose," Percy chuckled, massaging his now stinging cheek. "It's good to be back."

"Brother!"

There was nothing Percy could do before a wall of muscle body-slammed him, nearly causing him to fall to the ground.

"I thought the monsters had gotten you! I'm glad you're not dead."

A tear leaked out of Percy's eye.

"I'm glad I'm not dead too, Tyson. How are things with you and Ella?"

Tyson the Cyclops blushed. "Ella is very pretty."

Before he could respond, a new voice sounded. "Welcome back, Jackson. Did you kill any monsters for me while you were gone?"

A familiar red-head stepped into view, a red-streaked Harpy sitting on her shoulder, watching them all.

"Rachel, Ella. It's good to see you again." The raven-haired demigod stepped forward to hug his friends.

"When can I see you again. Written by Adam Young, Matt Thiessen, and Brian Lee. Produced by Adam Young. Recorded by Owl City in the year 2012 for-"

"Thanks, Ella," Percy said gently, making the harpy blush and hop onto Tyson's shoulder.

A camper shrieked.

Rachel swooned; a green mist began to envelop the hall. All heads flickered in their direction.

"Oh gods, not again."

Rachel Elizabeth Dare opened her eyes, which shone like polished emeralds. She turned towards Lucy and Noah. Lucy quickly ducked behind Frank.

"Approach seeker, and ask." The Oracle's voice was raspy, just as Percy remembered it.

Noah swallowed. Fear was shining in his eyes, but he faced the Oracle and spoke.

"Why was I brought her?"

The green smoke hissed and formed an image- The Olympian Council chambers, the Gods seemed to be arguing.

" _What has happened before will come once more,_

 _Time itself shall be struck at its core._

 _Daughter of Thieves and Son of Death,_

 _Must work together till his final breath-_

The scene flickered and changed to show a ruined mountaintop. Black marble lay everywhere. A whirlwind flickered in the background.

 _-Else the Titans rise again,_

 _And rampage upon the world of men."_

The Oracle slumped over. Tyson and another camper hurriedly picked her up and carried her out.

Noah turned towards the Heroes of Olympus. "What the HELL just happened?!" was all he said before his face paled and he collapsed- probably from shock.

"Noah!" Lucy cried, dropping to her knees next to the fallen boy. Will joined her at his side.

"He only fainted, it's nothing to worry about Lucy," he reassured her, force feeding him some ambrosia. Within minutes, the auburn-haired demigod opened his eyes and stood shakily.

"What...What happened?" he groaned, putting a hand to his head, which pounded like he had some tiny gong player on the inside of his skull, and leaned against Lucy. The Daughter of Hermes looked surprised for a moment but allowed him to use her shoulder as a crutch.

"Rachel, our Oracle of Delphi, just issued you and Lucy a prophecy, which ninety-nine percent of the time means a quest," Annabeth explained, helping Lucy exit the hall, with Noah leaning against the both of them. Percy, Jason, Frank, Hazel, Nico, and Will followed them out.

"What do we do now?" Percy asked, playing with Annabeth's hair as Will and Lucy gently placed Noah onto one of the bunks in the Fifth Cohort's barracks.

Frank, on the other hand, was pacing the room, running a hand through his distractedly.

"This cannot be happening. Not now, not with everything going on," he muttered anxiously, almost bumping into Reyna as she entered the room with Chiron in tow.

"Praetor Zhang, calm down. Now. That's an order," she commanded him. Frank stopped pacing, his arm dropping to his side.

"Rachel is in the camp infirmary, Will, if you wouldn't mind, could you treat her?" Chiron asked him slowly. The Son of Apollo nodded and hurried out.

"What is Frank talking about Reyna? Why not now? What's going on? Earlier you mentioned problems. What are they?" Annabeth asked her friend, narrowing her eyes.

The two Praetors exchanged a worried glance before turning back to the group.

"Annabeth, Percy, I don't know how to tell you this, but-"Frank took a breath, and looked the two in the eyes, "Mount Othrys is rising again."

* * *

 **Do you people like it? Yes, no, maybe so?**

 **Please review, it would mean a lot!**

" _ **All my life I've been waiting for**_

 _ **I've been praying for**_

 _ **For the people to say**_

 _ **That we don't wanna fight no more**_

 _ **There will be no more wars**_

 _ **And our children will play**_

 _ **One day"**_

 _ **(One Day; by Matisyahu)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	9. Chapter 9: Stronger

**Hey, People!**

 **Here is chapter nine, fresh out of the oven for all of you!**

 **We made it to 50 reviews. 50! That's like half of 100! Thank you guys so, so much. It really means a lot!**

 **Thank you for all of the amazing reviews. But this chapter's shoutout goes to SparklesandSunshine for picking up on the Narnia reference hidden within chapter 7.**

 **I would also like to give an additional shoutout to Ro222 for helping me out with the fine print of the chapter- go read her story 'Alone in the Shadows'- it is amazing!**

 **Anyway, on with the story!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Mount…. Othrys... How is that even possible?" Annabeth inquired, gazing at the two Praetors accusingly. "I've been living in San Francisco for three years and noticed nothing. Why?"

Reyna met her burning gaze, with one equally as cool.

"Maybe you just haven't been paying attention to the things that matter."

A terrifying silence rang through the room. Annabeth looked at the Daughter if Bellona; her face showed shock, hurt, and anger.

"Not paying attention to what matters?" The architect's voice was a low whisper. "Just because your love life is non-existent, doesn't mean you can go and throw mine under the bus!"

Annabeth stood. She stormed out of the room, her eyes blazing like Greek fire.

"Reyna!" Jason exclaimed sharply. "How could you?"

The Praetor was at a loss for words. "I-I-I didn't mean… I…." she faltered. The Roman had always been jealous of Annabeth's relationship with Percy, jealous of the way they looked at each other, knowing that they would always stand at each other's side. And in that moment of spite, she had unleashed a wave of emotion she didn't know she had.

Percy hastily stood. After making sure Noah and Lucy were in safe (well, as safe as a Demigod can get), he started over to the door to follow his girlfriend.

He paused by the door to the barracks and looked back, meeting Reyna's onyx eyes with his own.

"I know you didn't mean it, but you shouldn't have said that; especially not under the circumstances."

Mount Othrys, for Annabeth, symbolized Luke and everything he had done, everything she had felt for him, everything she thought she was past. The memories were too painful to grasp at, but in that moment, they had all come rushing back to the Daughter of Wisdom.

The Greek sent her a forgiving smile before turning and hurrying out into the dark knight.

Reyna watched the remainder of the group warily. She could not meet anyone's gaze. Not Jason's, not Frank's, and definitely not the two new Half-bloods, Lucy and Noah.

Muttering something about a meeting with the Centurions if the Second and Third Cohorts, the Praetor quickly ducked out of the room before someone noticed the tears that were threatening to fall.

She barely made it to the _Principia._

The heavy oak door of her office swung shut behind her. _Aurum_ and _Argentum_ rested peacefully in a corner- Reyna had no intention of disturbing them.

Reaching a hand out, she replaced her Imperial Gold dagger with some jelly beans, and slid down the wall, mindlessly eating them. The tears falling freely down her face.

No one in Camp Jupiter, Camp Half-Blood, hell- even C. C.'s Spa and Resort had ever seen her cry. The last time she had cried was when she was eleven. Right after Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase had released those Pirates onto the island.

 _*"You brat, ain't got no Lady to protect ya now, huh?" The Pirate crooned, smirking evilly as he dragged Reyna through the halls, the lobby with all the beautiful fountains and springs, to one of the storage rooms on the back corners._

" _Why you so scared, pretty thang? I ain't gonna hurtcha…. Yet." He cackled cruelly. Brown eyes glinting harshly in the dim light._

 _Reyna opened her mouth to scream, but the man pulled out a wicked-looking knife from his pocket. Its hilt embroidered with gold, and it's blade a sharp edge._

" _You scream and I'll cut your little tongue out."_

 _She froze, and he pushed her into the dark room, shutting the door behind him. The storage room was dark. Reyna had never come here alone- she had always been too afraid. Circe would send one of the older girls- Hylla, or Medea even._

 _The back wall was covered with heavy wooden crates, the floor was made of hewn stone, and there were no windows._

 _The light came on. Reyna noticed that she had scraped both knees when the pirate had thrown her._

" _What? Black cat got your tongue, girlie?" the curly-haired pirate let out a guffaw at his own miserable, pathetic joke._

 _The Daughter of Bellona took the moment as an opportunity. She darted around him, heading for the door._

" _NOT SO FAST WITCHLING!"_

 _A sharp crack resounded off the wooden crates. Reyna was suddenly on the floor once more. A brilliant red handprint glowed on her left cheek._

 _A tear leaked out of the girl's eyes. That tear was quickly followed by another, and another._

" _Please," she begged, raising her shaking (and frightfully thin) arms. "Please… Please stop."_

" _Stop?!" He roared. "I'll stop whence I believe it is time to stop gir-"_

 _He never got to finish._

 _The eleven-year-old cried out, as a glowing bronze sword point emerged from his chest._

" _No one touches my baby sister."_

 _Her savior jerked the blade free of the man's chest. The sword was now slick with blood. It sprayed everywhere, staining Reyna's delicate white chiton._

" _No one."_

 _Hylla Ramirez-Arellano dropped the Celestial Bronze blade. She rushed over to her trembling sister and pulled her into a tight hug._

" _It is Ok Reyna. I'm here. No one will hurt you anymore."_

 _The younger girl sobbed into her sister's shoulder. Terrified from what had just taken place._

" _The only way to get them to stop is to leave this cursed place and show them that we're strong."_

 _Reyna looked up at her older sister, her eyes glimmering with tears._

" _How?"_

" _By doing whatever it takes."_

 _After a moment of hesitation, Reyna nodded shakily and joined her sister on her feet.*_

On that day, Reyna had locked the tearful, scared little girl away in the back of her mind and had embraced her position as Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, Daughter of Bellona.

She carefully stood. Taking deep and calming breaths, she blinked the tears out of her eyes. Walking over to her desk, she pulled open a drawer and retrieved a Golden Drachma she kept for emergencies.

Taking another deep and calming breath, the Praetor of the Twelfth Legion walked over to the small drinking fountain that had been installed in the corner and set it for 'Fine Mist'. Within moments she had conjured up a rainbow.

"O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Hylla, Queen of the Amazons."

 **And that's a wrap on chapter nine!**

 **Did you guys like it? Do you like the memory chapters or should I stop? I don't know, I like them because they help us understand why the character reacts a certain way…..**

 **So yeah, um… hopefully, more chapters are on their way, but I'm not going to have access to a computer for a week! That means that sadly, there will be no more chapters this week :( sorry guys.**

 **Anyway, Batman dropped by on his way back from Arkham Asylum and kinda forced me to insert a reference to him. So whoever picks it up wins next chapter's shoutout! May the odds be ever in your favor ;)**

" _ **What doesn't kill you makes you stronger**_

 _ **Stand a little taller**_

 _ **Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone**_

 _ **What doesn't kill you makes a fighter**_

 _ **Footsteps even lighter**_

 _ **Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone."**_

 _ **(Stronger, by Kelly Clarkson)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	10. Chapter 10: FUN

**Hey, People!**

 **I literally just got back from a weeklong vacation with my family (that's the reason I haven't updated). I dropped my bags in my room, ran to the nearest computer, and started typing. I'm a bit annoyed I only managed to write one chapter over the trip but whatever, more is on its way (like always).**

 **So, this chapter is gonna be a bit of Annabeth/Reyna bonding and becoming friends, so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Ro222- No problem! I know, I love Reyna as well, but I think we all know what happens when you bottle up emotions for too long… you might explode at the wrong person in the wrong moment. And don't worry about the emotions, we all have them ;)**

 **StyxxsOmega- I'm glad you like the flashback chapters! I love writing them, so you can expect more to come!**

 **Fratzy- Thank you so much! I really try to keep the characters true to themselves, but they aren't mine so…. Yeah…**

 **Mikael0000- I definitely agree, there is not enough on Hylla and Reyna on the island…. Maybe I'll start a series of one-shots…. Hmm….**

 **Strawberrygirl2000- Don't worry about it :)**

 **Shoutout to Mikael0000 for getting the Batman reference.**

 **This AN is getting a bit out of hand… so all I can say is:  
Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey."

Annabeth looked up at Percy. Her eyes were blotchy and red. Her face was covered in tear marks.

She was sitting on Temple Hill, on the roof of Neptune's temple. The temple had become completely unrecognizable since Percy had been at Camp last. If he hadn't seen the Golden Trident nailed over the doorway, he would've mistaken it for another shrine to Mars or something.

Instead of being able to be mistaken for a rickety and old toolshed, the building had been transformed (no doubt with Leo and his cabin helping) into a shining pavilion made of marble and laced with ribbons of gold and turquoise. A bowl of fresh fruit sat on an altar in the center.

"Hey," she sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her T-shirt.

"It's ironic, you know? Athena's favored daughter came to weep at the temple of her greatest enemy, Poseidon, who just happens to be said daughters boyfriend's dad." Percy settled next to her on the marble, letting his legs swing freely over the edge. "But I can see why you like it."

The small temple sat at just the right angle so that when you looked at the city, New Rome glittered like a group of stars in the night sky. The Little Tiber reflected the moonlight brilliantly.

Annabeth faced him.

"Maybe Reyna was right…. Maybe I was too focused on myself and my personal happiness, than to think how my actions would affect others. If I was here-"

"If you were here, we would still be in this exact spot- no matter what," he added, seeing her look of protest. "Not for lack of trying, but due to the will of the fates."

The Daughter of Athena looked at him in awe. "When did you get so wise?"

He shook his head and took her hands in his.

"Maybe the moon is really made out of blue cheese. Maybe the stars are really glowing magical hedgehogs like in Piper's stories. I don't care. You are Annabeth Chase; you always follow your heart and don't give a dam about what anyone thinks when you do so. In conclusion, don't let Reyna's words hurt you like that. She is under a lot of stress and probably didn't mean any of it, ok?" the sight of an approaching figure made him pause. "I love you Wise Girl. No matter what. Remember that."

The Son of Poseidon slipped carefully from the roof, landing on the ground below with ease.

"Good luck," he whispered to the newcomer.

She gave him a small, sad smile before swinging herself up onto the pavilion's roof and sitting beside Annabeth.

"What do you want Reyna? Come to insult me again?"

Reyna fiddled with her ring- a simple band of silver, engraved with a crossed sword and torch; the symbol of her mother, Bellona. She ran her thumb nervously over the carvings.

"What I said was completely out of line. It was harder on you than on all of us that day. I'm sorry."

The blonde watched her carefully. Annabeth thought back to what Percy had said.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. There was no reason for me to react like that. You're under a lot of stress from everything- and our return didn't help with that. I had no right to add to that."

The Praetor regarded her with admiration.

"I forgive you… I guess. There is nothing to apologize for."

The older girl smiled. Her gray eyes met Reyna's black ones.

"I'm glad that's settled."

The Roman nodded and relaxed slightly, letting her eyes close for a moment.

"I envy you Annabeth," she said finally.

The other girl stared; her face morphing into an expression of shock and confusion.

"Just so you know, Tartarus isn't all it's cut out to be," she joked. "If it wasn't for-"

"Percy," Reyna said bitterly. "If it wasn't for Percy."

She looked at Annabeth, her face pained, and her eyes close to tears.

"I'm jealous. I'm jealous of you two. Of the connection you have. The knowledge that I'll never have something so beautiful kills me every time I see you." Her voice sounded like broken glass.

"What do you mean, Reyna?" Annabeth sounded truly confused. "Just because you don't have someone now, doesn't mean-"

"Venus told me no half-blood shall ever heal my broken heart."

The Daughter of Athena went silent. Her mouth formed an 'O' shape. Her eyes filled with sudden understanding and sadness.

"Reyna I'm so-"

"After Jason disappeared I was broken. I had a crush on him…. Than Percy came along, and I started getting over Jason, but in doing so, I began to develop feelings for him. When you returned Jason to us, they both… 'Rejected' me. And I am not blaming them, they both deserve you and Piper, I just wish there was someone for me."

The pair sat on the temple roof, watching the city lights blink on and off, like fireflies, in the distance.

"He drools when he sleeps."

"What?" Reyna looked at Annabeth strangely.

"Percy. He drools when he sleeps." Annabeth chuckled. "He also almost impaled ***** himself using a sword for the first time."

The Praetor let out a quiet laugh. "Really?"

"Yeah. He might be all show-offy on the outside, but on the inside, he has no idea what he's doing."

Reyna looked at the girl-again- in awe. How could she say these things about Percy? There was no way they are true.

"The first time I saw him since the island, he was covered in grime, monster goo, dirt, and was carrying an old lady- who turned out to be Juno in disguise."

It was Annabeth's turn to look surprised.

"That is the first and last time he's helping Hera."

Reyna couldn't help herself. Annabeth was being so understanding, so kind, to her- she began to laugh, and soon she was joined by the gray-eyed Daughter of Athena.

"Friends?" She said finally after it seemed like hours of them laughing and talking on Neptune's temple.

"Friends," Annabeth returned with a smile.

* * *

 **So what'd you guys think? It wasn't the best and it's short, but cut me some slack- I was on vacation, ok? I know that isn't an excuse but I'll make it up to you.**

 **I hope you enjoyed, because if not….. I'm too tired to think of something else to say. It's literally 1am and I'm eating crackers and Nutella while writing this chapter.**

 **I have to go to sleep. Please review if you can! Thanks :)**

" _ **F is for friends who do stuff together.**_

 _ **U is for you & me.**_

 _ **N is for anywhere, anywhere at all, here in the deep blue sea."**_

 _ **(F.U.N Song, By SpongeBob and Plankton)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	11. Chapter 11: City of Stars

**I'm back! Yay!**

 **Here we go, chapter eleven, whoop whoop!**

 **Thank you Strawberrygirl2000, Fratzy, Person7696, Mikael0000, StyxxsOmega, and Ro222 for the reviews!**

 **Here we go…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Come on! We're almost there!"

Noah swore silently under his breath at Annabeth's cry. They had been hiking through the trees for the past two hours. His limbs were exhausted and shaking, he felt like he would fall over at any second.

It was the second day of the quest; two days since they had left Camp Jupiter. Before leaving, they had had a meeting, which ended with Julian Vorex sporting a black eye and a broken arm. Needless to say, he quickly had learned never to call Annabeth "blondie" ever again.

You would think that getting from Berkley to, The Wolf House in Glen Ellen would be fairly easy, right?

Wrong.

Ever since they had gotten within a 200-mile radius of the house, monsters seemed to attack the group. Annabeth had blamed it on their "Demi-God scent" – not that Noah had any idea what that meant.

Why they were headed to the Wolf-House was a mystery to him. When he had asked Jason, one of the more experienced demigods, all he had said was: "It was where she captured Hera and put the prophecy into motion."

The Son of Thanatos felt a cold wind on the back of his neck.

"Do you feel that?" He asked Lucy, who walked beside him, admiring the woods.

"Feel what?"

That's when he saw them; a pair of eyes, glowing like molten lava, staring at them hungrily.

"Lucy, move!" He yelled. "Get to Percy and Annabeth."

He pushed her aside just as the beast pounced. He landed on the hard-packed dirt, the Hellhound's black claws, digging into his chest. He felt warm blood beginning to trickle down his chest.

"NOAH!"

Lucy's scream pierced his heart. As long as she was safe, that's all he cared about- keeping her safe.

The beast growled, low and menacing. Noah, out of instinct, raised his arms to protect his face; a buzzing sound like a thousand bees- filled his ears.

The monster lunged.

A warm tingly feeling spread through the auburn haired boy's body, beginning in his heart, and ending in his fingertips. It was as if his body was waking up. He felt the pressure on his chest receding.

Black mist curled from his fingertips, enveloping the beast. The mist formed smoky ropes, which immediately wrapped around the hound's forelegs. The beast howled in pain, as its body began to dissipate, melting into nothing. Everywhere the mist came into contact with the course black fur; the monster writhed in pain and started to dissolve into nothingness. Soon, all that was left of the Hellhound was the faint smell of decay and a faint chill in the air.

Noah sat up. He felt lightheaded, very lightheaded. He felt like he had just run a marathon, like the time he had sat up too quickly after fainting, and had fainted once more….. Good times…

A familiar shadow blocked out the sun, offering him a square of Ambrosia. He accepted it gratefully. It tasted of his mom's homemade milkshakes that she used to make him.

"You ok, man?" It was Percy.

He felt as if he had been trampled by a herd of rampaging elephants, but he managed to somehow stand shakily, and nod. "Yeah, thanks."

The Son of Poseidon smiled. "No problem."

Noah didn't have time to answer before he was squeezed into a hug.

"I'm glad you're safe," Lucy whispered, her voice muffled, into his shirt. He stroked her hair awkwardly.

"Dude, I have to say that was freaking AWESOME!-"Percy flinched at the glare he received from his girlfriend. "-I mean, it was pretty cool."

The boy grinned.

"We should get going," Annabeth said quickly, "There could be more Hellhounds. They faster we get to The Wolf-House, the better."

With that, everyone could agree.

After another hour of hiking (Lucy clinging to Noah every step of the way), they finally arrived at the ruins of The Wolf-House. They, other than Noah, collected dry wood and started a small and cozy fire. It wasn't that dark yet, but the air had begun to turn colder.

Percy hurriedly mumbled something about going to look for clues before the sun went down. He pecked Annabeth on the cheek and headed towards the ruins.

Annabeth watched the flames crackled, spitting embers into the sky; a sad expression on her face.

"Do you remember when we met you, Annie? That first week of classes?" Lucy asked her blonde friend slowly.

 _*_ _3 years previous-_

 _Lucy and Noah were about to leave their Math class when they noticed the new student, a girl with curly blonde hair, sitting in the back row, unmoving._

" _C'mon," Noah whispered, tugging on Lucy's sleeve, "Let's talk to her."_

" _We are going to be late for Chem. You know how pissed Youngrice gets if students are late."_

 _Noah rolled his eyes. "Isn't your middle name rule-breaker?"_

 _Lucy glared. "Shut up."_

 _They approached her cautiously. She stared aimlessly out of the window._

" _Hi."_

 _Silence._

 _The two glanced at each other. "Umm… excuse me? Hello?"_

 _She jumped as Noah touched her shoulder. She seized up a pencil._

" _What? Oh… sorry," she muttered, hastily standing and putting her books away._

 _Lucy glanced at Noah. She made circular motions near her head. Told you, she's crazy, she seemed to silently say._

" _I'm Noah," he said, extending his hand, ignoring Lucy's comment._

" _Annabeth, Annabeth Chase." She gingerly shook his hand, following them out of the empty classroom._

" _You're new?" Lucy attempted at conversation, "I'm Lucy Harrison by the way."_

" _Yeah. I just transferred here."_

 _The three walked in silence for a bit before Noah perked up._

" _Annabeth, are you doing anything this weekend?"_

" _Umm, no why?"_

" _Would you want to join our sleepover on Friday?"_

 _She nodded. "That would be cool."_

" _It's a date."_

" _Did you really have to invite her, Noah?" Lucy asked for what seemed the tenth time as the end credits rolled._

 _They had decided to watch the movie 'Hercules'- when they had reached the scene where Hercules was offered immortality by the Olympians, Annabeth had hastily excused herself and practically ran out of the room._

" _I mean… she's weird. She won't talk about her social life and her family- doesn't that seem strange to you?"_

 _Noah shrugged. "I guess… but she might have a rocky relationship with her parents…. Or she's adopted!"_

" _Only one way to find out," Lucy said with a mischievous smirk, pulling Annabeth's overnight bag over to her._

 _She pulled open the zipper and began rummaging through its contents._

" _Nothing… Nothing…. Score!" she triumphantly pulled own a plastic zip-lock bag filled with bottles of medications._

" _Paxil, Anti-Anxiety meds, and Prazosin….who carries these types of medications with them?"_

 _Noah, whose mother was a hospital nurse, perked up. "Say the names again. Paxil, Anti-Anxiety, and…"_

" _Prazosin," Lucy supplied helpfully, watching him curiously._

 _He suddenly faced her, his mouth tugged into a concerned line. "Lucy, I think Annabeth has PTSD."*_

Annabeth was about to answer when they heard footsteps coming near them. It was Percy returning. His eyes were red and he was holding two objects.

"Seaweed Brain, what's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Watch," he said hoarsely.

He placed the first object, a silvery-white bow, on the ground. It shrunk into a crescent-moon shaped hair clip.

"I don't understand…" Percy extended the note to Annabeth, his hand trembling slightly. Noah noticed that he had tears in his eyes.

"Read it."

"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," she read, her voice cracked, "Live forever in the stars." She took a deep breath. "Oh, Percy."

"Umm…. Could you kindly explain to the outsiders what it means?"

Percy turned to us, his face the color of the fog that normally surrounded San Francisco.

"I know where we need to go. We need to go to Mount Tamalpais. We're going to the Garden of the Hesperides… and Mount Othrys."

* * *

 **So…. What'd you think?**

 **Can you figure out what events are happening again? Here's the prophecy:**

" _ **What has happened before will come once more,**_

 _ **Time itself shall be struck at its core.**_

 _ **Daughter of Thieves and Son of Death,**_

 _ **Must work together till his final breath**_

 _ **Else the Titans rise again,**_

 _ **And rampage upon the world of men."**_

 **Anything pop into your minds? :)**

 **I know the chapter wasn't great…. But hear me out. Today is a memorial day. Basically where I live, once a year, they have this day to honor and remember fallen soldiers and the victims of terror attacks.**

 **I feel like I haven't posted in a while, so please forgive me if it was terrible**

 **Please review! It will only take a second, I promise!**

" _ **City of stars**_

 _ **Are you shining just for me?**_

 _ **City of stars**_

 _ **You never shined so brightly"**_

 _ **(City of Stars, La La Land)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz  
**


	12. Chapter 12: I See Fire

**Hey, guys!**

 **I am speechless. You know, getting eleven reviews for a single chapter does that to a gal… I just wanted to say: THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **Ok, after that, I wanted to say that this week's shoutout goes to Strawberrygirl2000 for giving me the idea for the chapter in a review for Chapter 8…. I hope the chapter lives up to your expectations :)**

 **I think that's all?**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Leo was surrounded by a whirlwind if heat and smoke. In other words- he was on fire; not that it bothered him in any way. The scorching flames were only showing everyone how ambivalent he was, how nervous, angry, and how happy, he was.

Earlier that day, Piper had called him to the big house, tearing him away from his new biggest project- trying to give Festus ice-breath.

Ever since Nico Di Angelo had told him about Stygian Ice, the fire-user had been trying to figure out a way to add it into the metal dragon's mainframe.

 _*"What's the matter Beauty Queen? Did something happen at Camp Jupiter?"_

 _Piper was pacing in front of the roaring fireplace. Calypso was sitting at Leo's side on one of the couches. Her brown eyes were filled with confusion._

 _The Daughter of Aphrodite took a breath- just as the screen door opened with a bang._

 _"I swear on the Gods McLean, if this isn't something good, I will knock in your perfect teeth. You interrupted my date." Piper flinched as Clarisse La Rue walked past her, glaring, and took a seat opposite Leo, Chris Rodriguez in tow._

 _The screen opened again and in walked the camp's resident troublemakers- The Stolls- and their respective girlfriends; Katie Gardner of Demeter's cabin, and Lou Ellen, Daughter of Hecate._

 _Piper took a shaky breath. "I know I interrupted your day, but, I got an urgent Iris-Message from Hazel…" she watched each of them carefully. "Percy and Annabeth are alive."_

 _The reaction was not what Piper expected._

 _Clarisse's eyes steeled up; Chris put a hand on her shoulder. The Stolls looked away quickly, the two girls bit their lips. Calypso remained seated, her eyes widening. Leo stood and stormed out, his eyes flickering with the image of flames. *_

That was what happened approximately four hours ago. He still didn't know how he was supposed to feel.

The door to Bunker 9 creaked open. He didn't look up.

"Love, you've been in here for four hours, and all of this smoke cannot be good for you. Piper's getting anxious."

Calypso's soothing voice drifted into the bunker, audible over the everlasting noises of machinery.

Leo quickly doused the flames. He turned to face his girlfriend.

"I'm fine, Sunshine. Just..." He trailed off, not sure where to begin.

"You don't need to explain, Love. Come, I have a surprise for you."

The repair-boy raised his eyebrows. "What?"

She took his wrist. A sudden wave of warmth flew through the Demigod. "Come. You'll see."

Calypso led the Son of Hephaestus into the woods. They walked past Zeus' Fist, past the Myrmekes Ant Hill. Deeper and deeper they went. The trees began to tower over them, blocking out almost all sunlight. Soon, even the chirping of birds dulled to quiet.

"Umm… Calypso? Where exactly are we headed?" Leo asked, his voice sounding nervous.

"You'll see."

Leo bit his lip, remembering the warning Will Solace had given him his first day at camp.

*" _The woods are dangerous, full of monsters and other…. Things no one wants to meet alone."_

" _What about Capture-The-Flag? Isn't that in the woods?"_

 _The Son of Apollo locked him with an intense stare._

" _If you have to go in, make sure you're armed, and don't- I mean it- don't stray too deep into them. There are parts not even the oldest campers dare to go."*_

Those words echoed in his ears. _There are parts not even the oldest campers dare to go._

Calypso stopped walking. Leo, being a superb concentrator, almost walked into her.

She spread her arms wide with a smile. "Do you like it?"

Leo glanced around, taking in his surroundings. They stood in a clearing. The trees were ancient, gnarled willows that stood threateningly. Leo gulped. It was dark; even though he knew it was only late afternoon- sunset was still a few hours away.

The repair boy shivered. A cold, icy wind had blown through. Calypso did not move. She stood in the center of the clearing, eyes closed.

"Umm, Sunshine?" Leo said, his hands creeping towards his tool belt. Something was wrong here, something was very wrong. He needed to get himself and Calypso out of her fast. Something evil was here. "I-I don't think we should be here…" His words faltered as she turned to him, her eyes filled with malice.

She cocked her head to the side, the move feline, animalistic even.

"Why?"

Leo backed up. The Calypso he knew would never look at him like that.

"I don't know who you are, but get the FREAKIN HADES out of my girlfriend!" he yelled, his hand instantly engulfed in searing, white-hot flames.

"Flames won't hurt me little fire-user," She laughed, her brown eyes hardening. "I was born in fire. The puny sparks you hold are nothing."

Leo bumped into a tree.

It-Calypso- moved towards him. Her form flickered and changed to reveal a young woman…. with hair made of fire.

"Who-Who are you?"

The strange woman smiled cruelly. "I am Polymmia, Daughter of Prometheus."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "You mean the chained-to-a-rock-for-giving-humans-fire Prometheus?"

She rolled her eyes. "They said you were slow, I just didn't know how slow." She sighed. "When Zeus chained my father to rock, his Ichor spilled out into the mortal realm and mixed with the fire he had given to you pathetic mortals. The ichor and fire bonded, creating one with the immortality of the Titans and the power of the Gods."

Leo gulped again. The woods around him had gone deathly silent.

"Thanks for the unnecessary history lesson. Now unless you tell me where Calypso is, this _pathetic mortal_ is going to turn you into a roasted Titan." Leo's eye crackled with flames-something that only happened when he was about to unleash hell.

"Do your worst, Son of Hephaestus."

Leo roared. His vision turned red. He was encased…no, he _was_ a whirlwind of fire… and he hurled it all at Polymmia. The Titan just laughed, embracing the flames welcomingly.

They washed over her, but she just laughed… and laughed…. And laughed…

She smiled at him, the flames parting around her. Her eyes, shining like onyx, regarded him with amusement.

"You clearly haven't been listening fire-user. I was born in fire. It can't harm me."

Leo's eyes widened. _Crap._

She flicked her wrist. The flames roared at him. It became a single wave of heat and destruction- entirely focused on him.

The only thought that raced through his mind before his vision faded to black, was who would be angrier with him, Calypso, or Piper.

* * *

"Love. Wake up!" A cold hand slapped him across the face.

His eyes shot open. He shot upright, gasping. His eyesight was blurry, but he could make out a single female figure kneeling before him.

"Ca-Calypso?" He asked weakly. His body hurt. His mind hurt.

"Thank the Gods." She sounded like she had been crying.

His vision finally cleared. Before him sat Calypso, her lip, and cheek, were cut and stained with dry blood; her hair was short and ragged, and her clothes were torn. She was wearing the T-shirt he had made her that had the words _'Team Leo for the win'_ written across the front. She was barefoot and she looked exhausted.

"Where-Where are we? What happened?"

The girl shook her head. "I do not know. They captured me while I was on my way to Olympus three days ago... I think…" she looked away, trying to remember.

 _Three days. She had been missing for three days._

A sudden thought struck Leo.

"How do I know you're not her?"

Calypso looked confused. "Who?"

"Me. It is nice to see the two of you together… bonding. It'll make what's coming next so much more fun!" A cool, calculated voice said from the doorway.

Polymmia, her hair blue this time instead of red, stood in the doorway of what appeared to be their cell. It was a large room, made of black marble. Greek fire torches lined the walls.

Leo gritted his teeth. "What do you want from us? Where are we?"

The Titaness's smirk glimmered like diamonds. "We are on Mount Othrys, headquarters of the Titan army, also known as Atlas's mountain… and as for what we want…."

In a single fluid motion, the girl had drawn a wickedly carved knife and had placed it at Calypso's throat; red droplets of blood had already begun to fall.

"…. We want you, Leo Valdez, to take up the burden of the sky, because if you don't…." Polymmia's eyes shone with a twisted, dark, and evil madness. "You're pretty little girlfriend dies; daughter of Atlas or not."

* * *

 **He...He…He… I know, I am evil, I'm sorry!**

 **Polymmia is a completely fictional character- she is an OC and does not exist in actual Greek mythology (to my knowledge).**

 **Please review! Please! Pretty pretty, please?**

 **I'm gonna go hide now…. *Runs off to super, top-secret, underground hideout***

" _ **Now I see fire**_

 _ **Inside the mountain**_

 _ **I see fire**_

 _ **Burning the trees**_

 _ **I see fire**_

 _ **Hollowing souls**_

 _ **I see fire**_

 _ **Blood in the breeze**_

 _ **And I hope that you remember me."**_

 _ **(I see fire, by Ed Sheeran)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	13. Chapter 13: Centuries

**Heyo!**

 **I'm back with Chapter 13! AHHHH!**

 **Ro222- *Cackles evilly* More emotions are going to come…. That was only the beginning :)**

 **StyxxsOmega- Not exactly another prophecy…. But if you think outside the box, it might help you figure out the current one… think about the first line: "** _ **What has happened before shall come once more"**_ **(I have given multiple hints to what the event is… so… keep your eyes peeled ;)**

 **Strawberrygirl2000- No problem, seriously! It was an awesome idea… you deserved it! *Cowers from all the yelling* And thanks for the permission, just don't shoot me for what comes next… *smiles nervously).**

 **Also- I just opened an Instagram account! (Yes, I know I'm behind… I've been told) I'm gonna be posting Fandom related stuff, updates (and sneak peeks into chapters occasionally) and other stuff…. So if you're interested, follow me lizclark_315**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Annabeth awoke to the sound of yelling.

Jumping to her feet, she instinctively reached for her knife, her fingers curling around the familiar and cool celestial bronze hilt.

She glanced around, searching for the source of the noise. What she saw made her bite down on her lip to refrain from laughter.

Lucy and Noah, stood, transfixed with horror, at Percy; who in turn was cowering before what looked like a wall of transparent mist.

"Piper, I-"

"- I DON'T CARE. AFTER YOU ESCAPED HER CLUTCHES YOU COULD'VE CALLED. YOU COULD HAVE COME BACK TO CAMP! WE ALL MISSED YOU, YOU STUPID LITTLE DOLPHIN! "

Annabeth choked down a small laugh. Piper had probably found out that Percy was alive only recently. It was the only explanation to her outrage. Sheathing the small blade, the Daughter of Athena made her way over to her friends.

"Piper, I think you've tortured him enough. We still need him to complete the quest," she said, stepping into the Daughter of Aphrodite's line of vision.

The girl's face softened slightly. "Annabeth! You're… WHERE THE HADES WERE YOU? YOU-"

"What's the matter?"

The brunette's eyes filled with confusion. "What?"

"That's why you called right? What happened?"

Her eyes darkened. "Leo and Calypso are missing."

It was Annabeth's turn to be confused. "What?"

I told him and Calypso that you two were alive, and he stormed out. Calypso went after him. When they didn't come back five hours later, we used Mrs. O'Leary to track them."

Percy brightened at the sound of the hellhound's name.

"-She led us to Bunker 9 and then to a clearing deep in the woods. The clearing was scorched and smelled of evil magic," she finished, her tone trembling slightly.

Percy's mouth tightened into a thin line.

"Is there anything else?" Annabeth asked a clue, something that could point them in the right direction.

"The magic…well..." she swallowed, "I asked Lou Ellen to check it out... and she said it was Titan magic. Faint, but undeniably Titan."

Percy swore under his breath.

"Ok Pipes, we'll keep an eye out," he said quickly before waving his hand through the Iris-Message, causing it to dissolve into light.

"Styx," he muttered, meeting Annabeth's gaze. "Styx, Styx, Styx."

"Do you think…?" his question died in his throat.

"Do I think that the Titans are keeping them on Mount Othrys as hostages?" Annabeth glanced at her two friends. They both were standing open-mouthed at the place where the Iris-message had been.

"We need to find them…. And fast."

* * *

The Garden of the Hesperides was dark…. Well, at least compared to the last time Percy had been there.

Last time, the garden had been filled with color and life. The air had been filled with a beautiful fragrance. The moon had shone, giving everything an unnatural, but timeless look.

Now, however, the mist hung heavily over the entire garden. The grass was dry and yellow. The trees reminded Percy and Annabeth of Thalia's Pine after Luke had poisoned it, nine years earlier. The flowers, once full of vibrant colors and life, were dull and limp.

"By the Gods," Percy said softly, his eyes wide. He gaze rose to the darkening sky, his eyes searching for The Huntress. "What happened?"

A low growl echoed across the dying Garden of Immortality. The four demigods looked at each other. Percy and Noah drew their swords, Lucy raised her bow, and Annabeth unsheathed her knife. They made their way to the center of the garden.

The marble steps that led to the apples of immortality were cracked. A faint hiss sounded, drawing the half-blood's attention once more.

Coiled around the tree's base was Ladon. Percy visibly paled. Annabeth took his hand. But something was wrong…. Something was off.

Ladon's eyes, normally filled with a dark fire and hatred, were dulled. His multiple heads drooped weakly against the dark floor.

As if in a trance, Noah took a step forward.

Lucy made a wild grab for him. She wouldn't lose him, not now; not after what they had gone through together. He brushed her off, his blue eyes never leaving the dragon. He knelt beside the beast. It flicked an eye at him, snarling slightly as Noah reached out a hand.

A cold wind blew through the garden. Annabeth, Lucy, and Percy watched the Son of Death, blades at the ready.

"He's dying," Noah said to no one in particular. He cautiously placed his hand on the monster's coppery scales and closed his eyes.

The mist surrounding them began to solidify and seemed to be drawn to the auburn-haired boy's outstretched hands. It swirled around them. Circling the beast- the smoke seemed to melt into its body. A dark light began to glow, brighter and brighter until the three who were watching were forced to avert their eyes.

The light died. Noah stood there. Smoke and power emanated from him. Before him, Ladon rose… completely healed and full of energy.

Noah's faced turned ashen as he crumpled to the ground, completely drained from what he just did. The dragon licked him, like a dog licking its owner. Lucy ran to his side.

"Noah. Can you hear me?" Her heart pounded. She pulled out a small, crushed square of ambrosia. Ladon growled. She bared her teeth at him. "Stay back dragon."

She quickly fed him the magic medicine. Within moments he groaned and opened his eyes. The Daughter of Hermes squeezed him into a hug.

"You really need to stop almost dying on me, ok?" She pushed a strand of auburn hair away from his face.

"I'll keep it in mind," he joked weakly, shakily getting to his feet.

Out of the darkness and shadows, four figures appeared, shrouded in a dull, gray light.

"Noah Davidson, you have done for us a great deed," one of the Hesperides said, taking a step forward, "you healed Ladon and tamed him, a feat no hero has ever managed to do."

Noah blushed so brightly, his face looked like a tomato. "It-It was nothing..." he stammered. Noah looked around at the others for help, but they nodded, agreeing with the Daughter of Evening.

"In return, we can only offer you a piece of advice- leave. Run. The Titans grow stronger with each passing moment. Even the fire-wielder cannot trump their leader."

"You mean Leo?" Percy asked quickly, his eyes wide. "They have him? Is he ok?"

The nymph shook her head and began to speak. "I-"her eyes widened in fear. "She is coming. Heed our warning. Leave now, or die at her hand."

The Hesperides melted back into the shadows of the garden.

The four looked at each other.

"I guess we aren't going to turn back?" Lucy asked hopefully. She quickly pushed aside the thought when she saw Perc and Annabeth's pale faces.

"No. But first, we need to get up the mountain and past the 'she' the Hesperides were talking about."

"You mean me?"

Ladon hissed at the voice, wrapping one of its heads loosely around Noah's ankle.

Noah, Lucy, Percy, and Annabeth turned at the sound. "Who are you?" The Daughter of Athena called out. "Show yourself!"

The speaker let out a low chuckle. "As you wish."

A woman, with flaming red hair, exited the mist just beyond the tree of the apples of immortality.

"I am Polymmia, Daughter of Prometheus. And I suggest, that if you all would like to stay in one piece, you come along nice and quietly." She smiled a cool and feral grin.

"Like hell, we will," Percy said as he launched himself at her.

"Percy, No!" Annabeth cried, cursing her boyfriend's high ADHD and inability to think things through (unless of course, they concerned her in any way).

"You worked so hard to free yourself from that Hell with the Earth Mother, Perseus Jackson; how would you like to relieve that pain?"

Before Perc could strike her, the Titaness raised a hand and touched his forehead.

The last thing Percy heard before the darkness claimed him was Annabeth screaming his name.

* * *

 **So, that happened :)**

 **Next chapter will be of Percy's time with Gaea (remember her?). Who's excited? Cuz I know I am!**

 **But to be completely honest, I have no idea where this chapter was going. I just sat down and started writing whatever flowed into my mind, so don't hurt me… please….**

 **I'm out of things to write, so…. Please review! They always make so happy! If you have something you want to see before the story ends, write it and I will try to incorporate it into the storyline, ok?**

" _ **Some legends are told**_

 _ **Some turn to dust or to gold**_

 _ **But you will remember me**_

 _ **Remember me for centuries."**_

 _ **(Centuries, Fall Out Boy)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	14. Chapter 14: Don't You Worry Bout A Thing

**Hey, guys!**

 **I know it's been a while, but I'm back and better than ever! I just want to say thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I'm so happy that the story is getting such amazing feedback!**

 **Also- Is no one going to say anything about Noah managing to tame LADON? I mean, not even Heracles could do it!**

 **I'll keep this author's note short and simple when I say….**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and Percy Jackson belongs to Uncle Rick.**

* * *

Annabeth Chase saw red. Her vision tunneled, focusing only on the female Titaness who stood over her Seaweed Brain's limp and twitching body.

Percy had launched himself at Polymmia. The Titaness had, as swift as a cheetah, slipped under his strike and placed a figure to his forehead. Percy had crumpled instantaneously; his eyes rolled back, his body began to shake.

Annabeth flew at Polymmia, completely ignoring Lucy's feeble cries; her teeth bared. Drawing her shining bronze blade, she rolled under an oncoming fireball and came up behind her adversary. She flipped the knife in her palm and attacked with a strike towards the center spine.

But something stopped her.

Annabeth suddenly found herself on the ground, the hilt of her sword dug into her side; Polymmia's chiseled and manicured face smirking at her from above. The architect's own blade had been turned against her, grazing the delicate skin of the blonde's neck.

"My offer still stands, Daughter of Athena," the Titaness hissed, "stand down and come quietly… or suffer the consequences."

The chosen of Athena gulped inwardly.

Just over her adversary's shoulder, she could see the faint outlines of her two friends being surrounded by a group of a dozen or so _dracaena._ She could sense their fear from fifteen feet away. Percy let out an unintelligible cry of pain. Annabeth's heart practically ripped in half.

Her heart was screaming at her to attack, to rip Polymmia into shreds for hurting Percy, while her brain, ever calm, told her to comply with the demands and figure out an escape plan later.

Annabeth gritted her teeth. "Fine," she spat. "Fine…. Just don't hurt them."

Polymmia smiled wickedly, her grip on the girl loosened slightly. "You made a wise choice, Daughter of Athena."

The Titaness motioned at the monsters; she then reached down and grabbed the golden hilt of Annabeth's sword and pulled it free. The girl gasped as the blade came free, cutting into her skin, creating a long gash down her leg.

" _Bitch_ ," she hissed out.

Polymmia ignored her and flicked a wrist towards Percy. A cloud of flame appeared underneath his unconscious form, lifting him into the air. She turned back to Annabeth.

"Start walking blondie or your friends die."

* * *

"Somethings wrong."

Jason, Frank, Hazel, and the rest of the Senate Room's occupants turned to the Ambassador to Pluto.

"What do you mean _something's wrong?"_ Rena asked him quickly, her tone like steel.

Nico paled, his pupils dilating. "Percy," he panted. "Something's wrong with him." His voice was tight.

The Son of Hades met his cousin's eyes. They were full of fear. Jason nodded.

"I'll take Frank and Hazel and scout the area," he said, turning to the two centurions.

Reyna cut him with a glare. "You have no-"

"He is the Pontifex Maximus Reyna, he has all the authority needed to issue a quest," Frank stepped in, coming to the ex- centurion's defense.

Reyna clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides, before responding slowly. "Fine, take Hazel and Frank with you. The Amazons will meet you at the mountain in two days' time."

Jason loosed a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The last thing he needed was to be thrown into the Tiber.

"The…. The Amazons?" Frank stammered. "B-bu-but how? It'll take them days to get here, and-"

"They're on their way. They've been on their way for the past week. "Reyna dared the others to ask. Thankfully, no one did.

* _"O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Hylla, Queen of the Amazons."_

 _The mist in front of Reyna shimmered and shifted. The figure of the Amazonian Queen came into focus._

 _Reyna breathed in relief. Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, the Roman Praetor raised her voice._

" _Hylla."_

 _The older girl turned, the harsh lines of her regal face melted into a soft smile at the sight of her sister._

" _Reyna!" Hylla's expression changed to worry at the sight of the Praetor's tear-streaked face. "Are you alright? What happened? Did someone hurt you?"_

 _Hylla Ramirez-Arellano had always been protective of her little sister. Ever since their father had started… changing, slowly going mad, she had tried to shield Reyna from harm. It had become harder once the two had gone their separate ways; Reyna to Camp Jupiter and Hylla to lead the Amazons, but the older girl did her best._

 _Reyna shook her head. "I think… I think I might have ruined everything."_

 _And so, Reyna told her sister everything, from the beginning, when Annabeth Chase had entered the Senate Room with two new half-bloods, until her own snapping at the girl. She paused only to breathe and pop a jelly bean into her mouth._

 _Reyna told her of the new prophecy and of Mount Othrys rising. The Daughter of Bellona left no detail in the dark._

" _Rey," Hylla said once her sister had finished. Reyna flinched inwardly. No one had called her "Rey" since Puerto Rico. "I am sure Annabeth will forgive you. I believe once she hears your side of the story, she will understand. Do not fret."_

 _The Amazons' face shifted into a more serious look. "As for the Titan's threat, I will send a force. It will take us a few days, however. Just breathe Reyna, all will be well."_

 _Reyna forced a smile at her sister before she waved a hand through the mist curtain and the connection broke.*_

* * *

Noah threw himself into the heavy door for what seemed umpteenth time.

The three friends had been thrown, quite unceremoniously, into a dark room made of black marble. As far as he could see, the only entrance or exit was the door he was currently trying to break down, their only source of light, being the torch on the wall which blazed with a green fire.

The Son of Thanatos didn't know how much time had passed. The only thing he knew for certain was the Percy Jackson was not dead. And no matter how many times he would repeat this truth to Annabeth, she would shake her head and whisper "not again" or she would yell various curses and insults at the ceiling.

Lucy came up next to him. "You ok?" She asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Noah bit his lip, but nodded all the same. Annabeth was too busy stressing over Percy, so him and Lucy would need to plan their escape. He knew Lucy knew it too.

"Did you manage to get through to her?" He asked.

Lucy shook her head; her chocolate-colored hair tumbled in faint down her back. "I think you'll have better luck. I'll work on the door."

The Daughter of Hermes watched him go; his auburn hair gleamed, like the golden blade that had been strapped to her waist, in the harsh green light.

She watched as he knelt beside their friend, soothing her with delicate and calming words. The soft tenors of his voice drifted over Lucy, sending shivers down her spine, making her insides turn to jelly and making her want to melt into his arms.

Yes, call her cliché; call her a fool, but Lucy Harrison was in love with her best friend. Ever since ninth grade she had been harboring feelings towards him. It started when he invited her over to his house for a 'Harry Potter' movie marathon to celebrate the end of the school year.

Lucy exhaled softly, smiling at the memory before turning to face the problem at hand, getting out of this gods-forsaken room.

The girl examined the solid block of marble before her. There was no lock, keyhole, or anything for that matter to show how the door could be opened.

 _ **How can you open a door that can't be opened?**_ A scene from _Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince_ slid into her mind.

 _*"Thank you," said Harry gratefully, but Dumbledore had already turned his attention back to the solid cave wall. He did not try any more magic, but simply stood there staring at it intently, as though something extremely interesting was written on it. Harry stayed quite still; he did not want to break Dumbledore's concentration._

 _Then, after two solid minutes, Dumbledore said quietly, "Oh, surely not. So crude."_

 _"What is it, Professor?"_

 _"I rather think," said Dumbledore, putting his uninjured hand inside his robes and drawing out a short silver knife of the kind Harry used to chop potion ingredients, "that we are required to make payment to pass."_

 _"Payment?" said Harry. "You've got to give the door something?"_

 _"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Blood, if I am not much mistaken."_

 _"Blood?"_

 _"I said it was crude," said Dumbledore, who sounded disdainful, even disappointed, as though Voldemort had fallen short of higher standards Dumbledore expected. "The idea, as I am sure you will have gathered, is that your enemy must weaken him- or herself to enter. Once again, Lord Voldemort fails to grasp that there are much more terrible things than physical injury."_

 _ **Could this door have the same concept?**_ Lucy didn't hesitate before pulling a bobby pin out of her hair and removing the plastic coating form the metal. She dug the slightly dulled corner onto the sensitive flesh of her palm.

"C'mon," she muttered through clenched teeth. "C'mon."

A droplet of dark crimson blood appeared in her palm. Quickly, she placed her hand flat on the marble, muttering a small prayer to Hermes, her father, at the same time.

The door melted away, as if the black stone recoiled from her touch. Grainy sunlight filtered into the cell.

Lucy heard two gasps, as Annabeth and Noah came up behind her.

"How…" Noah started. "How did you do that?"

Annabeth was speechless. Her face a mask of pale shock…. And.… relief.

Lucy turned to them. "Once this stupid quest is over, just remind me to send a letter to J.K Rowling."

* * *

 **What'd you guys think? Did you like it? It's the longest chapter yet- 1,700+ words!**

 **Tell me your thoughts- please review! (It only takes a couple of seconds ;)**

" _ **Oh don't you worry about a thing**_

 _ **Don't you worry about a thing, mama**_

 _ **'Cause I'll be standing...I'll be standing by you**_

 _ **Oh don't you worry 'bout a thing"**_

 _ **(Don't you worry 'bout a thing, Tori Kelly)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	15. Chapter 15: Save Myself (Part I)

**Hey, I'm back!**

 **So, I know it has been a while, but I have a reason. School's almost over and we've had two weeks of constant exams and essays… But, I can proudly say, that I have no more essays of exams and can now stay up till 3 am writing fanfics and stuff for you guys! :)**

 **Thank you guys for all of the reviews! I cannot believe we are almost at 100! AHHHHH! I am freaking out right now!**

 **Now, before we start, I'm just gonna address two things from the reviews. One: PuddlePirATEpro- It isn't a prison, it's a room on Mt. Othrys and to quote Percy: "You Titans are about as smart as my gym socks…" (If it still bothers you, feel free to PM me!)**

 **Two- Fratzy, rewind to chapter nine. Reyna basically threw Percabeth under a yellow school bus… It's was a flashback to then.**

 **Also, I'm pre-warning you, this chapter is Percy's memory…. Take hold of your emotions ;) (Please forgive the bit of curses and language used in the chapter, thanks!)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It was dark.

Then again, it was always dark in this hell-hole of a place. But it was never a natural darkness that was brought when the moon rose. No, it was a blackness thick with magic and witchcraft, one that choked the life out of any life-source, any hope and goodness in the world.

It had been a while since Percy Jackson had cared. He had grown to know the darkness, using it to his advantage whenever he could. The only time any form of light entered his cell, artificial of nay, was when the cell door was rattled open; bringing along with it the harsh beckoning of a long and hard day.

But the Son of Poseidon never regretted his decision to go along with Gaea. Not once. And even now, 730 days later, give or take, he would not yield to the earth. He would not fall and beg for mercy. He would continue to defy the odds and resist, fight against it, his eyes ablaze with Greek-fire.

He would not fall knowing what mattered, knowing that his friends were counting on him.

 _*"Spare me." Athena stepped close to me, and I could feel her aura of power making my skin itch. "I once warned you, Percy Jackson, that to save a friend you would destroy the world. Perhaps I was mistaken. You seem to have saved both your friends and the world. But think very carefully about how you proceed from here. I have given you the benefit of the doubt. Don't mess up."*_

Yes. Perseus Jackson always seemed to defy the odds; always managed to save the world, and his friends.

The reason: It was those friends who had stood by him through his victories and failures, through his happiest and darkest times.

Grover. Annabeth. Thalia. Nico. Jason. Reyna. Piper. Frank. Hazel. Leo.

And he would keep fighting. He would keep protecting them and shielding them, until Hades claimed him with a final breath.

The rust covered hinges squealed. A bright light illuminated the small cell; revealing a pale, huddled figure curled up in a corner. His wrists and ankles, covered in bruises and welts, were chained to the wall with heavy, Stygian Iron manacles.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." The words, coated in venomous green Poison were aimed at the fallen hero.

Nothing. The Savior of Olympus did not move; did not show any form of consciousness or acknowledgement.

"I know you are awake, Perseus." A finger, coated in scales, was pointed. A stream of bright-green liquid-poison- soared through the air, drenching the Son of the Sea God.

He screamed. The sound was one of pure agony, unfiltered pain. The raven-haired boy spasmed; his body convulsing and twitching, as if he had been given the electric chair.

"Would you like another taste, boy?" The question a challenge, a taunt in itself. "Or would you dare say hello to an old friend?"

The only sound was the sallow, rasping pants of the demigod. He moved, fighting through the pain, of his aching, screaming muscles; and slowly, ever so slowly raised his head. His forehead beaded with sweat, his skin tight and clammy.

His sea-green eyes, once vibrant and full of laughter and joy, were dull. The only sign of the dim, fighting spirit that remained after two years in hell, was a small flicker of hope, hidden deep within them.

Sea-green met toxic-purple.

His chapped lips formed two words.

"Fuck. You."

Polybotes' echoing laugh ripped through the cramped cell.

"You've got spirit boy. I'll give you that." The giant knelt beside the shivering demigod, placing a hand on his shoulder.

To an outsider, the gesture might have looked caring, fatherly even. But really, the touch, however slight it was, burned white-hot.

Percy bit down, cutting into his lip, to keep from crying out in severe pain. The veins under his skin darkened as the water in his blood stream turned to a fatal poison, should the venom ever reach his heart.

"But spirit will not help you here, Sea Spawn," the giant mused, releasing Percy's shoulder. The boy slumped against the wall, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his body tried to fight the effects of the rapidly moving poison.

"You have one hour until the poison reaches your mortal heart. One hour to think on our proposal. Use your time wisely."

He stood and left, leaving the lingering smell of decay in his wake.

And as the door slammed shut, as the room was once again engulfed in darkness; for the first time in two years, Percy Jackson let out a choked sob.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 everyone!**

 **What'd you guys think? Please review down below…. It'll only take a minute.**

 **This is part 1 of Percy's flashback/dream to being taken by Gaea. I hope you like it!**

 **Please don't hurt me! *runs to super-secret hideout hidden deep in the woods of Camp Half-Blood***

" _ **I gave all my oxygen to people that could breathe**_

 _ **I gave away my money and now we don't even speak**_

 _ **I drove miles and miles, but would you do the same for me?**_

 _ **Oh, honestly?**_

 _ **Offered off my shoulder just for you to cry upon**_

 _ **Gave you constant shelter and a bed to keep you warm**_

 _ **They gave me the heartache and in return I gave a song**_

 _ **It goes on and on,"**_

 _ **(Save Myself, by Ed Sheeran)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	16. Chapter 16: Bad Dream (Part II)

**I'm back with Chapter 16! Who's excited?!**

 **Thank you for all the beautiful reviews! WE REACHED 100! OH, MY GODS! *Hyperventilates* Thank you guys so dam much! I am so happy you enjoy reading the figments of my imagination that I put into words XD**

 **Anyway, I'm sure you all want to read the chapter already so I'll make this short: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING… sadly.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Half an hour later, Percy Jackson was slumped against the wall, his chest refusing to expand so oxygen could enter his lungs.

The veins in his right arm were a dark-purple color due to the spread of poison, which also rendered his sword-hand completely useless.

Polybotes' venom moved swiftly through the demigod's body like a cobra, striking at the weaker points in his body before paralyzing him completely.

Percy's breathing slowed. His head fell back against the earthen wall. His sea-green eyes fluttered shut; and as they did, a rush of memory flooded his mind.

 _*"I'm telling you! ," my mom yelled, "We have to go up! My son—" Then she saw me and her eyes widened. "Percy!"_

 _She hugged the breath right out of me._

 _"We saw the building lit up blue," she said. "But then you didn't come down. You went up hours ago!"_

 _"She was getting a bit anxious," Paul said drily._

 _"I'm all right," I promised as my mom hugged Annabeth. "Everything's okay now."_

 _"Mr. Blofis," Annabeth said, "that was wicked sword work."_

 _Paul shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to do. But Percy, is this really . . . I mean, this story about the six-hundredth floor?"_

 _"Olympus," I said. "Yeah."_

 _Paul looked at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. "I'd like to see that."_

 _"Paul," my mom chided. "It's not for mortals. Anyway, the important thing is we're safe. All of us."*_

Safe.

Safe was not a word the described a demigod's life. Especially not Percy's.

Percy had been targeted by Tyche, the Greek Goddess of luck (good or bad) from the very beginning. He still had no idea what he did to get on her bad side.

A blistering hot wind blew across the room, searing Percy's skin. His eyes snapped open in response, his muscles and joints in complete and utter agony.

His nervous system had become completely unresponsive in the past fifteen minutes.

 _ **Fifteen minutes.**_

The words clanged through his mind as the cell door burst open. No doubt Polybotes had come back to taunt him.

Everything was tinged with red. Through the haze of pain, Percy could just about make out the towering figure that filled the doorway…. And bit back in surprise.

A man, clad in black jeans, combat boots, a black leather duster, and a red muscle shirt; whom, under normal circumstances, Percy would've assumed was a biker.

But these weren't normal circumstances. Ares' sneer grew larger as he surveyed the scene before him.

"You in a bit of a bind, Jackson?"

The Son of Poseidon regarded him, his eyes clouded with pain. Blinking spots out of his eyes, Percy bit down on his lip to prevent himself from whimpering in pain in front of the War God.

The immortal smirked. "As much as I would love to stay and gloat as I watch you die slowly from a slow and painful and gruesome death…." he sighed, relishing the idea, fingering the long hunting knife that was strapped to his side. "I am here on strict orders to save your life."

Ares pulled out a water bottle from the inner pocket of his jacket. "Be lucky you have friends in high places, Punk;" And proceeded to upend the bottle's contents onto Percy's head.

The demigod moaned in relief as the cool and crystal-clear liquid touched his skin. The powers he had inherited from his father used the water to slowly counter Polybotes's poison, chasing it from him.

Strength surged through his mind and body as the poison receded and water filled his veins. Bright sea-green eyes watched as his immortal enemy **(A/N: I mean mortal enemy, but since Ares in immortal…. Get it? :)** drew the celestial bronze knife and swung downward, cleaving the underworldly rock in two, causing the manacles to spring open, releasing the boy.

He shakily stood, accepting Ares's outstretched hand. Unsteady on his feet, Percy reached out a hand to brace himself against the wall, when Are's cut in:

"I wouldn't do that if I were you unless you want to find yourself chained up again."

Percy raised his eyebrows, swaying uncertainly.

"I was given orders to help you," he sighed. "You getting yourself locked up again will just make me look bad…. Here," he said after a moment, handing the half-blood a small vial filled with an amber-colored liquid. "It's highly concentrated nectar, straight from Apollo's stash; should give you enough juice to make it out of this place alive."

Percy took the vial, swallowing the contents in a single gulp. He shuddered as it went down.

The effect was instantaneous. The bruises and cuts (that hadn't healed from the water) sealed a stability that hadn't been there a moment before appeared, helping the Demigod son of Poseidon stand straighter and taller.

Ares watched, picking at his fingernails with the point of his knife.

"Your lady friend said you might want this." The God pulled out a small ball-point pen and handed it to Percy, who accepted it gratefully, glad to have the familiar blade in between his fingers.

"Lady Friend? As in Annabeth?"

Clarisse's father smirked as he walked towards the door of the cell. "Wrong one. Some call her The Last Olympian, the one who protected your hope."

"Hestia."

"Bingo. That's the one. Now kid, if you want to get out of this fortress alive, I suggest you take a left, then a right and you'll hit a dead end- it's an illusion. Hecate can only hold it up for so long. Then run. Run like Hell is chasing you." He leaned in close. Close enough for Percy to feel his hot breath. "And remember. Don't die or look back. Or else I'm screwed. Got it Punk?"

Percy almost laughed. Ares taunting him and threatening him made everything seem _normal_ or as normal as one could get in this situation.

As the god turned to leave, Percy took his arm.

"Ares, thank you."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't get used to it. I owed Hestia a favor. But you mention this to anyone _water-boy_ and I turn you into a tapeworm."

"Understood."

Heavy footsteps were heard approaching the cell.

"Good luck, Jackson," said Ares. "And don't die." Before he snapped his fingers and was torn apart by a scorching wind.

"Jerk," Percy muttered, rolling his eyes. But he turned and ran, his head pounding slightly, down the hall and made a left, a right, and straight through the wall that formed a dead end.

He felt weightless, tumbling through the blackness as he free-fell, the winds tearing at his ripped Camp Half-Blood T-shirt.

The sky began to lighten, the world filled with color as Percy Jackson slammed into the ground; his teeth vibrating from the impact.

The sounds of cars and people yelling filled his ears. He stood on a hill overlooking a city; down below people bustled about going to and from work; the sounds of people living their normal lives, unbothered by monsters or a rising Earth Primordial. In the distance, the Golden Gate Bridge towered above, shrouded in fog and mist.

Riptide fell from Percy's grasp, landing on the soft grass as the demigod himself slid to his knees, tears filling his eyes.

 _He was finally free._

* * *

Percy Jackson's eyes snapped open. He was shirtless and tied to a large bed. Straining against the ropes, he tried to pull free. The doors opened.

"Ahh, you're awake. Did you enjoy yourself?" Polymmia asked from the entranceway.

Percy gritted his teeth. He knew better than to answer. So instead he decided to toy with her.

" _Bitch_ ," he said, and gave her a crooked smile. His sea-green eyes gleaming with hate.

She took a step towards the bed, running her hand along the edge of the sheet. "Now, now, Percy, you don't mean that," she said seductively, placing a hand on his chest, drawing idle circles along his bare torso.

The Son of the Sea tugged at the ropes, squirming to get away from her touch. "Go burn in Tartarus for all I care."

The Titaness leaned forward, too close to be anything but intimate. "I don't believe you, Perseus-"

She was cut off as a glowing knife blade burst through her chest.

"No one touches my Seaweed Brain and gets away with it, Polymmia. Enjoy your time in Tartarus," Annabeth said, her gray eyes blazing.

* * *

 **I know, it's a crappy ending, but forgive me…. Please!**

 **Please review if you want… It would be nice though… they always make me smile :)**

" _ **Wake me up**_

 _ **Won't you wake me up?**_

 _ **Caught in a bad dream**_

 _ **Caught in a bad dream**_

 _ **Wake me up**_

 _ **I wanna feel the sun**_

 _ **Caught in a bad dream**_

 _ **Caught in a bad dream"**_

 _ **(Bad Dream, By Ruelle)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	17. Chapter 17: Runnin'

**Hey, guys!**

 **Here is the chapter you've all been waiting for *drum roll* I'm being really overenthusiastic… Anyway, chapter 17!**

 **I'm gonna keep this short and say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Also- this is officially the longest fanfiction I have written so far! Thank you guys for making this all possible!**

 **Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

Annabeth jerked the blade free of the Titaness's chest, sending Polymmia sprawling to the side. Golden Ichor sprayed everywhere, splattering across the sheets and Percy.

"Thank the Gods." Annabeth reached over and sliced through the ropes binding her boyfriend in a quick, fluid motion. She hugged him fiercely. "You alright, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy rubbed his wrists where the ropes had cut into his skin and chuckled. "Never been better."

"Liar." The Daughter of Athena hit his shoulder lightly with a smile.

Standing from the bed shakily, Percy gave Annabeth a small smile. It didn't do much but calm her beating heart slightly.

"Here." The blonde picked up a tattered t-shirt from where it had been kicked under the bed and tossed it to the boy. "Put your shirt back on."

"Yeah, cuz we wouldn't want any monsters swooning at the sight of-" he gestured to his bare chest, "-all of this."

Annabeth shook her head. "You're impossible."

"Yeah, yeah," Percy grinned his signature grin. "It's been said before."

* * *

Noah looked across the hall at Lucy. The two of them were standing guard while Annabeth got Percy. How he had been dragged into this mess of a world, he still had no idea. Lucy, though, looked comfortable, like she had been waiting her entire life to pick up a sword and start swinging.

And it scared him.

Noah had been crushing on Lucy ever since second grade, maybe even before. And now… now that he, that they, had been dragged into this crazy world of Greek gods and monsters, he was downright terrified that something was going to happen to her… or that she might leave him.

He didn't feel… he felt out of place. Like, no one understood him. Not even that kid Nico. And his father was _Thanatos_ for heaven's sake. The freaking god of Death! Why would anyone want to date someone whose father is in charge of dead people?

"Noah, you good?"

"What?" He blinked. He had been staring at Lucy the entire time. _**Crap. Now she probably thinks I'm a weirdo or something-**_

"No, no reason. You were just looking at me funny," said Lucy, concern in her voice.

"Oh, umm-"

He was saved from answering by Annabeth and Percy's arrival, red-faced and out of breath. "They… they know we're out. We have to go. _Now._ "

Lucy gripped her sword and followed Annabeth down the hallway. Percy hung back for a few moments.

"You alright Noah?"

The Son of Thanatos nodded. "I-I-I don't know… Maybe?"

Percy smirked. "It's Lucy isn't it?" At Noah's look, he raised an eyebrow. "I mean, it's written all over your face… Trust me; I was the same with Annabeth."

A growl sounded from behind them. Percy grabbed Noah's arm and dragged him forward.

"Let's go. We'll talk about this some other time-" he glanced behind them and winced. "-hoping we live that long."

The two boys ran after the girls, snarls and yelling filled the air behind them; around a corner, down a hallway and past countless doorways leading to wherever. Finally, the four burst outside. They all blinked in the sudden brightness.

Everything was in ruins. Hell, even the doorway the stepped through a moment before was an illusion.

"What the Heck? Wasn't this just… a building? With walls… and a roof?" Noah looked incredulous as he bent down to inspect the debris that surrounded the four demigods.

"It was… Until little Miss Chase here killed me… or so she thought."

Percy growled. Annabeth placed a hand on his chest. "And what do you want Polymmia? Tartarus didn't want you so they sent you back?"

Polymmia rolled her eyes. "For a daughter of the Athena, Goddess of _Wisdom,"_ she scoffed. "I'm shocked you didn't see through our plan."

Annabeth's gray eyes steeled up. "What did you do?"

The Titaness smirked. "Why don't you see for yourselves?" She jerked her chin behind them, towards the other side of the peak.

A wall of wind and mist and water swirled. Its point almost touched the ground. The only thing separating the two was a curly-haired boy, who was clearly in a lot of pain.

" _Leo,"_ Percy breathed.

He whipped around, Riptide extended, towards Polymmia. " _What did you do?"_

Her laugh was cold and cruel. "Nothing… Yet. And I highly suggest that you put your pretty blade away before someone gets hurt."

Lucy stepped forward. "The only one who'll be getting hurt here… is you, you bitch."

"I wouldn't be too sure."

Polymmia snapped her fingers. Mount Othrys formed around them. Brick by brick, the mist that swirled around their feet solidified into a cage around Percy and Annabeth. Lucy and Noah drew their weapons as one and stood back to back, eyes on the enemy.

The Titaness flicked her wrist and the two blades went flying, skittering over the black marble.

"A nice attempt, but I am a Titaness and you," she paused. "Are nothing." Her eyes flared red. The two demigods took a step back. "And Lucy? Put the knife down or fire-boy's girlfriend gets skewered."

Someone was pushed into the light. Bound head to toe in chains, was a girl. Her Team Leo t-shirt was destroyed.

"Calypso, honey, why don't you say hello to your friends?"

Percy snarled. "You so much as touch a hair on her head Polymmia, and I swear-"

"That you'll kill me?" She reached over and stroked Calypso's hair lightly. "Oops."

"Where's Atlas?"

Polymmia turned sharply. Noah glanced at Lucy. His mouth was dry. If anything went wrong… He reached under his jacket and put a hand to the knife hidden there.

"I mean… isn't this his mountain? The sky is his burden, no? If someone else is holding it, I'm only assuming that he is here someone, walking free."

Polymmia smirked. A cold voice echoed across the black stones.

"Finally. The famous Percy Jackson in a cage. Like the animal he is."

 _Atlas._

* * *

 **Hey! So after ages, I am back!**

 **I went to sleep-away camp over the summer and I recently started eleventh grade (which sucks btw)- all in all, it's been really crazy… but hopefully ill be able to update quicker- I really want to finish this story before Christmas so I can maybe write a sequel? What do you guys think?**

 **Anyway, I just went with this chapter so I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter is hopefully going to take place back in Camp Jupiter with all of our favorite heroes (other than Percabeth, Lucy, Noah, Leo, and Calypso)!**

 **Please review- but only if you want to- it'll be appreciated if you do though…** **and it will only take a second!**

" _ **It's spinnin' back around now, on this road I'm crawling**_

 _ **Save me cause I'm falling, now I can't seem to breathe right**_

 _ **Cause I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'**_

 _ **Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'**_

 _ **Runnin' from my heart."**_

 _ **(Runnin'- By Adam Lambert)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	18. Chapter 18: Friends In Low Places

_Atlas_.

Percy's eyes flashed murderously. His blood boiled. Despite that, the temperature around the group seemed to drop as the moisture was almost entirely leached from the air, in response to the half-blood's simmering rage.

"Holy Gods of Olympus," Lucy whispered as she watched him. Even Polymmia backed away, knife at the caramel-haired girl's throat. She had known the Son of Poseidon was extremely powerful, even for a child of the Big Three (Annabeth had given her and Noah a basic rundown of the Pantheon's on their way to the mountain), hell, she had seen him in a fight. He could be terrifying! But this… it sent a shiver of fear through her. The daughter of Hermes made herself a mental note to never get on his bad side.

No one moved. The only sound was the roar of the wind as it skirted the edges of the mountaintop.

"Don't overexert yourself little godling," the Titan moved forward, sauntering past the cage, his icy eyes as stony as granite. "It won't do you any good, this cage is impenetrable. You'd do better at destroying Mt. St. Helens," Aslan mused, his tone laced with faint amusement.

Percy grinned his signature goofy grin, the temperature sort of returning to normal. "Been there, done that."

"Of course," Atlas purred, walking to Polymmia's side. The Titaness smiled, her grip on Calypso tightening. "And as a result, you ended up on Ogygia with Calypso. You really have a thing for my daughters Perseus Jackson-" Annabeth bristled as he grabbed his daughter by the chin, forcing her to meet his steely eyes. "-First it was the insufferable Hunter, Zoë Nightshade, and then-"

"Don't you talk about her," Percy growled his voice low and dangerous. "You have no right to talk about her, you son of a bitch! You think you're so mighty Atlas, but all you are is a psychotic immortal who can only follow orders!"

The Titan merely waved his hand. "All this talk is boring me." He eyed Lucy and Noah. "Kill-"

"Wait! Hold up!" Lucy blurted out, an attempt to stall, if not for her a Noah, for Percy and Annabeth to figure out a way to break the cage open. "If your Atlas," she started, sizing up the man before her. "As in the Atlas from Greek Mythology, shouldn't you be trapped under the sky?"

The immortal turned to her, his eyes filled with malice. The daughter of Hermes tensed under his gaze. Noah's hand closed around the hilt of his concealed knife, ready to take action if needed. If he so much as put a single hand on her-

"I see we have a little scholar here don't we?" He sneered; cutting of Noah's thought process.

Atlas stepped up to her, his sadistic smile growing wider as he watched her flinch and back away from him rapidly.

Noah growled low in his throat, his vision beginning to go red. "Get away from her!"

Atlas turned away from Lucy, who scampered away quickly, and now faced the Son of Thanatos, his expression peaked with curiosity.

"And what are you going to do puny demigod?" The Titan asked, his tone masked the challenge hidden in the question.

Percy and Annabeth saw what was going to happen just before it did. The Son of Poseidon shouted: "NO!" but the knife was already flying.

Atlas looked down at the blade which was now buried up to the hilt in his chest. Laughter rumbled through the air.

"That was a mistake boy." The Titan's eyes practically glowed with anger.

"Noah," Annabeth shouted. "Run."

And that's what he did. Noah turned and ran-

But suddenly Atlas was in front of him, a glinting sword in his hand, maniacal grin on his face.

The last thing Noah heard was Lucy shrieking his name.

* * *

The Senate House was crowded. Head counselors, along with a handful of campers, from Camp Half-Blood, Centurions and Legionnaires from Camp Jupiter, and nearly a dozen Amazons filled the hall. All eyes were on the raised platform in the front, watching as Chiron, Jason, Reyna, Frank, and Hylla debated, occasionally asking a Centurion of Counselor for their opinion.

No one seemed to take note of the dark brown eyes that watched from the shadows of a pillar with muted interest. Nico hated Senate meetings, all the noise, and interaction… all the _people._ So the Ambassador to Pluto stuck to the shadows; watching for signs of danger and once in a while, voicing his opinion.

"What's bothering you Neeks?" A warm voice said from behind the Son of Hades.

Nico, despite being, well, _Nico,_ flinched in surprise. He swore softly. "Dammit, Will- I don't know how you do that but could you please stop!"

The Son of Apollo smirked, his blue eyes twinkling. "Now you know how we all feel, with you sneaking around using your underworld powers."

Nico rolled his eyes and turned back to observe the now heated debate between Hazel and one of the Third Cohort's Centurions over how and if they should send aid to Percy, Annabeth, and the two new demigods, Lucy and Noah.

"Seriously Neeks," Will said, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "What's going on with you? Your aura is going haywire."

Will looked at Nico with concern. Being a Son of Apollo came with its perks, and while most of Will's siblings could shoot a moving target from 100 feet away, sing with a voice to rival angels, or play instruments better than any musician, Will Solace was a medic.

He had his father's medicinal skills rather than the more artistic side of Apollo's strengths. Not that it bothered him. He was able to heal nearly any wound and knew exactly how every bone and nerve was used and how it would affect the body if it was broken or torn.

And he could sense auras.

Not many children of Apollo could. It was something like the fire-users of Hephaestus' cabin, simply a lot less rare.

Nico's aura was darker than usual. Waves of pain, worry, and… fear were rolling off of him. It was suffocating.

The Son of Hades gave him a meek smile. "It's probably nothing. Just an itch in the back of my mind… Like something big is-" His words turned into a strangled gasp as the Senate House shook.

Nico's breathing came out in shallow pants, quick and ragged. He fell to his knees, back leaning heavily against the pillar. The burst of energy washed over Nico like a tidal wave. He was drowning. _Drowning._ He was sinking and floating and-

His eyes flew open suddenly and focused on the figure that stood over him.

"We need to get to Mount Othrys _now."_

* * *

 **So… chapter 18, huh?**

 **What'd y'all think? I really feel the need to apologize for the ending… I ran out of ideas- please forgive me :)**

 **Anyway, I have an extremely sad announcement to make and as much as it pains me to say this and as much as I don't** _ **want**_ **to say this... I must.**

 ***Swallows nervously and lowers voice to a whisper***

 _ **There are only 4 chapters left to 'A Birthday Miracle'**_

 **I don't know when the next chapter will be out (hopefully soon), but please review if you can! They always make my day!**

" _ **'Cause I've got friends in low places**_

 _ **Where the whiskey drowns**_

 _ **And the beer chases my blues away**_

 _ **And I'll be okay**_

 _ **I'm not big on social graces**_

 _ **Think I'll slip on down to the oasis**_

 _ **Oh, I've got friends in low places"**_

 _ **(Friends in low places by Garth Brooks)**_

 **Not sure how the song connects to the chapter but it's still an amazing song- check it out!**

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	19. Chapter 19: What Are Words

Everything was grey.

Grey and swirling and ever-changing, like an intense fog, or paralyzing mist that appears; thick enough to give you closure and cover, but sheer enough that you could see the shapes and outlines of people and things around you.

And he was floating. Or was he drifting? He couldn't make up his mind. Everything felt so light… so peaceful and calm. Nothing hurt. There was no pain, no discomfort-

Until a sharp _snap_ tore him from the haze that had befallen his mind, sending a bolt of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Noah's eyes opened with a gasp. Bright lights filled his vision, so different from the muted color of the mists from before. He was blinded momentarily while his eyes adjusted to the miniature suns that hung from fixtures on the ceiling.

They weren't suns, he realized as everything around him came into sudden focus. They were fluorescent light bulbs, hanging from white chords that were connected to a matching whitewash ceiling.

Blinking again, his surroundings came into complete focus. He was lying on an elegant black leather couch, the kind one would usually see in a therapist's office. Across from him, seated behind a large desk made of polished oak wood was a man. He raised his eyes as Noah sat up, rubbing his head; his fingers never breaking pace as they tapped away at the keyboard of a sleek black laptop.

"How are you feeling?"

"What? What happened?" Noah's words were slurred. His head spinning slightly as he attempted to stand straight.

"I would highly advise against moving too much at the moment, son. Wouldn't want to send you straight to Elysium now would we?" The strange man had stood finally. Making his way over to where Noah now sat, he extended a clear bottle of water. "Drink up," he smiled. "You are dehydrated."

The moment the words left the man's lips, Noah's throat was dry. His headache became nearly unbearable. So he gratefully accepted the water from the man, despite the many warning bells that had begun to go off within his mind.

 _If he was going to kill me, he would've done it already… right?_

"I'm not going to kill you, son. Even if I did, it would be a tad difficult at the moment."

Noah gave the man an odd look. "What- What do you mean, and what in hell is going on?" The demigod rubbed a hand over his face. "Where am I?"

The man sighed. "I really, and I say this in all honesty, I wish we did not have to meet under these circumstances, but you my boy, are dead."

"D-Dead?" Noah choked out, his voice unbelieving. "As in dead, dead? Like, I stopped breathing, dead? Then how-"

"How are we talking? Well," the stranger smoothed out his navy blue suit. "That is one of the perks of being the God of Death and being the lieutenant of Hades probably doesn't hurt either."

Noah blanked. For the first time in a while, he was speechless. Several moments passed in silence before words found him.

" _Dad?"_

Thanatos smiled sympathetically and said: "In the flesh."

"Bu-But how? How is that even-?"

"Possible?"

Noah nodded and swallowed sharply. If this... _man_ … was his father, why was he only appearing to him here? And why now out of all times?

"Simple. There are laws, rules of nature and order that even the Gods must follow; otherwise the Western Civilization would fall into complete and utter chaos. I was forbidden by Zeus and bound by the Styx from going to see you. "

The half-blood looked at his father. "Where you… reading my mind?"

Thanatos gave his son a small glance. Was that sadness hidden in his immortal golden eyes? The God sighed. "I was not. Your thoughts and emotions are written all across your face, son."

"Don't call me that."

Noah regarded the God beside him. "You don't get to call me that. Not here. Not now."

A flicker of emotion flashed across immortal's face. "Noah, I-"

"Don't. Just stop. We might be bound by DNA… or whatever the heck makes me your biological child, but you will _never_ be my father. Never."

Noah's emotions rioted as he stood from the couch, ignoring the dizziness and fatigue that racked his body. Anger boiled just under the surface, threatening to set his skin aflame.

"Do you know what it was like? Growing up with no father? Do you even know what it was like to be taunted and teased because your parents couldn't make it to parent-teacher conferences because your mom had to work extra shifts at the hospital and your father was non-existent? Did you even care what me and mom went through?

"Most kids, you know, their dads take them to baseball games, help them study for a math test, hell, even give them 'The Talk' when dating comes into the picture. I never had that. Never! I was always the freak with no friends, until Lucy took pity on me and decided to sit next to me at lunch one day."

Noah's hands were clenched into fists at his side; his knuckles were nearly as white as the pristine walls around him. Tears were running down his face in rivulets as he stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the River Styx and the entrance to the Underworld.

"The names that she was called behind my back by the others in my grade," He swallowed sharply. "They… It took all of my willpower and self-restraint to keep myself from beating the living daylight out of them. She was catcalled nearly every day at work, and thinking back, there were probably things that happened that I don't know about- but she kept smiling, kept cracking jokes and laughing as if the weight was not on her shoulders." Noah turned to face his father who had taken a sudden interest on the spotless marble floors.

"So no, you don't get to suddenly burst into my life 21 years too late and expect me to come running to you with open arms. And now that that issue is resolved, I would like to finish dying in peace."

"I'm sorry, son; for everything." Thanatos's deep baritone was soothing, but full of an infinite sadness. "I can never fix what has happened in the past, but I can give you the opportunity to do what I never could."

Noah's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he watched the God stand slowly.

"Tell Lucy how you truly feel, before you lose her. Take it from an old man who knows… And Noah? I really do love you and your mother."

Before the demigod could react, Thanatos snapped his fingers. A cold wind rushed through the room and Noah lost consciousness.

* * *

 **Holy Gods of Olympus you guys!**

 **CHAPTER 19! Wow… This is amazing!**

 **Thank y'all for reading- I hope you liked it. I wanted to give a bit of insight on Noah's background, what'd you guys think? Was it too much?**

 **As always, I love you all and stay awesome!**

" _ **What are words  
If you really don't mean them  
When you say them**_

 _ **What are words  
If they're only for good times  
Then that's all  
When it's love  
Yeah, you say them out loud  
Those words, they never go away  
They live on, even when we're gone"**_

 _ **(What are words, by Chris Medina)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


	20. Chapter 20: Undefeated

**Hey, Y'all!**

 **I don't know whether to be happy that I'm updating or sad because this is just bringing us one step closer to the inevitable- The final chapter. DUN DUN DUUUNNN. (Sorry 8smiles meekly*)**

 **Anywho, there is a very important person I would like to thank-**

 **Ro222. You are not only a fantabulous friend, but you are always happy to help me through my writing slumps. And without you, this chapter would not have been created until much later on. So thank you :)**

 **Also, thank you to all of you amazing reviewers! Thank you so much!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Years ago, back when Lucy had lived in Atherton, California, before her mother decided to get remarried and move in with Lucy's stepfather who lived in San Francisco, the worst sound she could ever imagine existing was Mrs. Leroy's long, painted fingernails being raked over the dusty and ancient chalkboard, whenever the class got a bit too rowdy for her liking.

But that had been before she had met Noah and Annabeth. Before she had found out that her father was a Greek God, and definitely before Lucy had been dragged into this crazy world that consisted of quests and monsters.

Now, the sounds of metal ripping - tearing - through bone and the near-silent thud of Noah's knees hitting the hard packed dirt was ten times worse than any nails on any chalkboard. A scream ripped itself from Lucy's throat as she struggled to breathe, tears stinging her eyes.

Her knees buckled. Crescents of blood had appeared on her palms from where her nails had dug in. "You son of a bitch!" She screamed at the general. "I'll kill-"

Lucy choked, eyes flying wide, as a sudden force, as cold as ice, snatched away her voice.

"Again with the empty threats, darling?"

Polymmia.

The Titaness sent Calypso sprawling with a harsh shove. The girl gasped and twisted, her right arm taking the brunt of the fall. Polymmia moved to face Lucy, kneeling in the dirt below her. Lucy's eyes burned with hate, a hate so bright and shimmering it felt like a supernova waiting to explode within the demigod.

"There is nothing you can do, my dear," she purred, taking Lucy's face in her hand and jerking upwards, forcing Lucy to meet her eyes that shone with malice. A devilish smile spread across her face. "The so-called 'Saviours' of Olympus are as good as dead, and you, my darling-" she glared down at Lucy. "-are worth nothing without your pretty little boyfriend. You. Are. Alone." The last word was whispered into the daughter of Hermes' ear, causing her to jump and shudder.

Polymmia released her and, as if the life had been sucked out of her, she crumpled in a heap on the ground. Lucy was trembling, shaking violently as she tried to breathe - tried to understand, tried to -

Noah was dead.

A sob loosed itself from her body. Distantly, she felt the eyes of Polymmia watching her with amusement. She was shaking, shaking, and shaking, and -

No. She wasn't shaking. The very ground below her was trembling, quaking. Something big was coming, something big and ancient and powerful.

A roar filled the air.

The two immortals froze. Atlas paled.

A spear of panic and fear went through Lucy. What was coming that scared even the most fearful Titan general? What otherworldly _thing_ had just been unleashed?

"No," he whispered. "NO! He has not left the tree, ever!" Atlas zeroed in on Lucy, his voice growing louder with each syllable. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU, FOOLISH GIRL?!"

He rushed at her.

The daughter of Hermes stumbled to her feet, adrenaline coursing through her and keeping her up, kept her moving, getting ready to keep her alive if need be.

A tremendous force slammed into Lucy, knocking her to the ground. She gasped as the air escaped her lungs.

Above her stood Atlas. A maniacal smile covered his face. A large steel sword was drawn, point down. The ground underneath her was shaking harder than before as if something was about to -

Something slammed into the Titan, sending him sprawling to the side. The sounds of a hundred bees filled the air. Before her, teeth bared and eyes filled, glowing, with hate, was Ladon.

She faintly heard Annabeth inhale sharply and Percy swear colorfully as a figure stepped over Lucy, blocking out the sun, and joined the dragon, glaring at Atlas.

"Stay away from her."

No.

No.

No.

It… It couldn't be. It couldn't be. He was dead. He was dead. Noah was dead and -

Lucy's eyes flicked over to where her - to where Noah, had been lying, blood pooling around his body, eyes lifeless and glazed and... She froze.

There was nothing there.

There was nothing _there_.

That could only mean….

"Noah?" Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper, her eyes seeing but her mind refusing to believe.

The figure turned around and a familiar freckled face came into view.

"Hey, Lu. Need a hand?"

* * *

 **I know this chapter was short, but I really liked the cliffhanger and it was the only logical place to stop it. If I hadn't, the next chapter would have probably been the last….**

" _ **Still undefeated**_

 _ **With my back against the ropes**_

 _ **Still undefeated**_

 _ **You can knock me down with body blows**_

 _ **But you cannot break my hope**_

 _ **Cannot break my hope"**_

 _ **(Undefeated, by Daughtry)**_

 **Ttyl**

 **Liz**


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